AP and IB: How to Choose at Canyon High School

Canyon High School runs two advanced course systems: AP courses open to all students (24 on the 2026-27 offerings sheet), and the IB Diploma Programme for grades 11 and 12, offered since 1988. In May 2026, 879 students took 1,791 AP exams in 25 subjects, and 84% of exams earned a score of 3 or higher; the same year, 20 students earned the IB Diploma. This page brings together who each track suits, IB admission criteria and fees, and the grade levels and prerequisites of each AP course, to help families decide in the spring of grade 10.

Canyon High School AP and IB: Who Each Track Suits

At Canyon High School, AP and IB are not ranked by difficulty; they are two ways of organizing coursework. The tracks overlap: the first year of IB Biology HL is AP Biology, the same course with the same course number, and IB Diploma candidates take AP Calculus or AP Statistics as their grade 12 math course.

Track	Who it suits and what it requires
AP (24 courses)	One subject, one exam, one year at a time, with the most flexible combinations. Grade 9 students can start with AP Human Geography, and more courses open each year from grade 10. The School Profile describes AP as an open-access program with no school-wide selection, suited to students who want to combine courses by intended major and earn college credit with AP scores
IB Diploma (grades 11-12)	The most integrated option. Candidates take six IB courses, three or four at HL, with two required years each of English HL and History of the Americas HL, plus Theory of Knowledge (meeting daily at 7:30 a.m.), the Extended Essay and 18 months of CAS. Students apply in the spring of grade 10, with GPA, math and English grade thresholds. Suited to students willing to commit two years to a complete academic program
Where the tracks overlap	IB Biology HL 1 and AP Biology are the same course; IB Diploma candidates take AP Calculus AB, BC or AP Statistics in grade 12. Students who are not Diploma candidates can also take individual IB courses, such as IB Philosophy or IB Environmental Systems and Societies
College credit	Both tracks can earn college credit, as each university decides. The school reminds students to check the current credit policy of the colleges they plan to attend

Canyon High School IB Diploma Programme: Admission, Courses and Fees

The IB Diploma Programme begins in grade 11, and students apply in the spring of grade 10. For 2026-27, applicants needed an academic weighted GPA of at least 3.0 with no grade lower than B-, a B or better in Math I, II or III, and a B or better in honors English or an A in regular English. The application packet, which includes a course request schedule, grade 9 and 10 transcripts and the program policies initialed by student and parent, was due to the IB coordinator by the end of lunch on Friday, March 6, 2026, with decisions sent in writing by March 27.

IB subject group	Canyon High School courses
Group 1: Studies in Language and Literature	IB English Language and Literature HL, two years, required
Group 2: Language Acquisition	IB Spanish or French at SL or HL (HL requires the language at level III Honors)
Group 3: Individuals and Societies	IB History of the Americas HL, two years, required
Group 4: Sciences	IB Biology HL (year one is taught as AP Biology), or IB Environmental Systems and Societies SL or IB Sports, Exercise and Health Science SL
Group 5: Mathematics	IB Mathematics: Analysis and Approaches SL, followed in grade 12 by AP Calculus AB or BC or AP Statistics
Group 6: Elective (choose one)	IB Philosophy, IB Environmental Systems and Societies SL or IB Sports, Exercise and Health Science

Diploma candidates take six IB courses in grades 11 and 12, three or four of them at Higher Level (HL) and the rest at Standard Level (SL), and complete the three-part core: Theory of Knowledge (TOK), an Extended Essay (EE) of up to 4,000 words, and 18 months of Creativity, Activity, Service (CAS). TOK meets in the spring of grade 11 and the fall of grade 12, Monday through Friday from 7:30 to 8:30 a.m.; the Extended Essay is due in December of grade 12, and the IB organization recommends about 40 hours of work on it; and students complete a group CAS project during the summer between grades 11 and 12. The IB Diploma requires a minimum of 24 out of 45 points.

Fees	IB exam registration takes place each September and October. For 2026-27, junior fees and senior fees are $400 each, due in October, and families who qualify can submit a statement of need for financial assistance. Additional costs include a $50 suggested yearly donation, a $20 program T-shirt and a $25 IB graduation stole.
Program policies	The program policies state that IB courses cannot be replaced by community college coursework; students with repeated absences or tardies in TOK are reported and dropped from the program; and students must keep an overall GPA of 3.0 with no grade below B- throughout the program, or they are placed on an action plan and their parents and counselors are notified. Students who complete the Diploma Programme receive both an IB diploma and a California high school diploma and wear a white cap and gown with an IB stole at graduation.

Fees

IB exam registration takes place each September and October. For 2026-27, junior fees and senior fees are $400 each, due in October, and families who qualify can submit a statement of need for financial assistance. Additional costs include a $50 suggested yearly donation, a $20 program T-shirt and a $25 IB graduation stole.

Program policies

The program policies state that IB courses cannot be replaced by community college coursework; students with repeated absences or tardies in TOK are reported and dropped from the program; and students must keep an overall GPA of 3.0 with no grade below B- throughout the program, or they are placed on an action plan and their parents and counselors are notified. Students who complete the Diploma Programme receive both an IB diploma and a California high school diploma and wear a white cap and gown with an IB stole at graduation.

Four-Year Course Plan for the IB Diploma (School IB Schedule Page)

Grade 9: English 9 Honors, World Language I or II, AP Human Geography, Biology Honors, and Math II Honors or Math III Honors
Grade 10: English 10 Honors, World Language II or III Honors, AP European History, Chemistry Honors, and Math II Honors or Math III Honors
Grade 11: IB English HL 1, IB World Language (SL or HL 1), IB History of the Americas HL 1, IB Biology HL 1 / AP Biology, IB Mathematics: Analysis and Approaches SL, one IB elective, and TOK in the spring
Grade 12: IB English HL 2, an IB world language course, IB History of the Americas HL 2, IB Biology HL 2, AP Calculus where appropriate, one IB elective, and TOK in the fall

Canyon High School 2026 AP and IB Exam Results

The School Profile reports only school-wide totals: in May 2026, 879 students took 1,791 AP exams in 25 subjects, and 84% of exams earned a score of 3 or higher, or about two exams per test taker; the same year, 20 students earned the IB Diploma, and 80% of IB certificate students passed their exams. The school does not publish pass rates for individual AP or IB subjects. Note that the two systems measure success differently: AP counts a score of 3 or higher in a subject as passing, while the IB Diploma requires a total of at least 24 out of 45 points along with IB’s other assessment requirements.

Canyon High School AP Course Grade Levels

AP Human Geography is the only AP course open to grade 9; it is a social science elective that requires a contract and does not count toward graduation requirements. Grade 10 adds AP European History, AP Precalculus, AP Computer Science Principles, AP Psychology and four arts AP courses. Grade 11 opens AP English Language, AP U.S. History, AP Biology, AP Chemistry, AP Physics 1, AP Calculus AB and BC, AP Statistics, AP Computer Science A, AP Spanish Language and AP French. AP English Literature, AP Physics 2, and AP U.S. Government with AP Macroeconomics are offered only in grade 12.

The School Profile describes AP as an open-access program with no school-wide selection; the grade 9 course selection sheet recommends that students take an honors course before their first AP or IB course.

Canyon High School AP Courses: Grade Levels and Prerequisites

The Canyon High School offerings sheet lists the prerequisite course for each AP class but publishes no grade cutoffs. The table below follows the 2026-27 offerings sheet course by course.

AP course	Grades and prerequisites
AP Human Geography	Grade 9 only; social science elective; contract required; not a graduation requirement
AP European History	Grade 10 only
AP Precalculus	Grades 10-12; requires Math III, with the honors section recommended
AP Computer Science Principles	Grades 10-12; no prerequisite; UC A-G "d"
AP Psychology	Grades 10-12; no prerequisite; UC A-G "g"
AP 2-D Art and Design / AP Drawing	Grades 10-12; teacher approval required
AP Art History	Grades 10-12; no prerequisite
AP Music Theory	Grades 10-12; ability to read and write musical notation or musical experience recommended
AP English Language	Grade 11; requires English 10
AP U.S. History	Grade 11; requires World History
AP Biology	Grades 11-12; requires Biology and Chemistry; the same course serves as IB Biology HL 1
AP Chemistry	Grades 11-12; requires Chemistry and Math III
AP Physics 1	Grades 11-12; requires two years of science, with Math III recommended
AP Calculus AB / BC	Grades 11-12; requires Precalculus/Trig, AP Precalculus or IB Math
AP Statistics	Grades 11-12; requires Trigonometry/Statistics, Precalculus/Trig or IB Math SL
AP Computer Science A	Grades 11-12; requires Math III; UC A-G "c"
AP Spanish / AP French Language	Grades 11-12; requires level IV of the language or teacher recommendation
AP English Literature	Grade 12; requires English 11
AP Physics 2	Grade 12 only; requires AP Physics 1, with Precalculus/Trig completed or taken concurrently recommended
AP U.S. Government / AP Macroeconomics	Grade 12; one semester each; requires U.S. History

AP Courses Canyon High School Does Not Offer

AP World History: Modern
AP Environmental Science
AP Microeconomics
AP Physics C: Mechanics and Electricity and Magnetism
AP Chinese Language and Culture
AP Comparative Government and Politics
AP Seminar and AP Research (AP Capstone)

AP Spanish Literature and Culture, listed in the School Profile, does not appear on the 2026-27 offerings sheet. The UC A-G list includes AP Physics C: Mechanics, but it was not among the 25 subjects tested in May 2026. The school also offers no Chinese courses, so students who want to take AP Chinese need to study outside school and register for the exam on their own.

Canyon High School AP Course List

English 2 courses

Course	Level	Grades	Prerequisites / Conditions / Notes	UC A-G
AP English Lang/Comp	AP	11	Successful completion of English 10Course number L512	b
AP English Lit/Comp	AP	12	Successful completion of English 11Course number L996	b

Social Science 4 courses

Course	Level	Grades	Prerequisites / Conditions / Notes	UC A-G
AP Human Geography	AP	9	Grade 9 social science elective; contract required; not a graduation requirementCourse number H900	a
AP European History	AP	10	—Course number H986	a
AP U.S. History	AP	11	Successful completion of World HistoryCourse number H996	a
AP Am Gov / AP Macroeconomics	AP	12	Successful completion of U.S. HistoryCourse number H966 / H630; One semester each of AP U.S. Government and AP Macroeconomics	a

Mathematics 4 courses

Course	Level	Grades	Prerequisites / Conditions / Notes	UC A-G
AP Precalculus	AP	10-12	Successful completion of Math III (honors recommended)Course number N985	c
AP Calculus AB	AP	11-12	PreCalc/Trig or AP Precalc or IB MathCourse number N986	c
AP Calculus BC	AP	11-12	PreCalc/Trig or AP Precalc or IB MathCourse number N987	c
AP Statistics	AP	11-12	Successful completion of Trig/Stats, PreCalc/Trig, or Math IB SLCourse number N994	c

Science 4 courses

Course	Level	Grades	Prerequisites / Conditions / Notes	UC A-G
AP Biology	AP	11-12	Successful completion of Biology & ChemistryCourse number S976; Life science; the same course code serves as IB Biology HL 1 for Diploma candidates	d
AP Chemistry	AP	11-12	Successful completion of Chemistry & Math IIICourse number S984; Physical science	d
AP Physics 1 (Algebra based)	AP	11-12	2 years of science (successful completion of Math III recommended)Course number S997; Physical science	d
AP Physics 2 (Algebra based)	AP	12	Successful completion of AP Physics 1 (completion of or concurrent enrollment in Precalc/Trig recommended)Course number S998; Physical science	d

World Language 2 courses

Course	Level	Grades	Prerequisites / Conditions / Notes	UC A-G
AP Spanish Language	AP	11-12	Spanish IV or teacher recommendationCourse number F986	e
AP French	AP	11-12	French IV or teacher recommendationCourse number F976	e

Visual & Performing Arts 4 courses

Course	Level	Grades	Prerequisites / Conditions / Notes	UC A-G
AP 2D Art & Design	AP	10-12	Teacher approvalCourse number A986	f
AP Drawing	AP	10-12	Teacher approvalCourse number A987	f
AP Art History	AP	10-12	—Course number A976	f
AP Music Theory	AP	10-12	Ability to read and write musical notation or musical experience recommendedCourse number M870	f

Electives 3 courses

Course	Level	Grades	Prerequisites / Conditions / Notes	UC A-G
AP Psychology	AP	10-12	—Course number H956	g
AP Comp Sci Principles	AP	10-12	—Course number O932; UC A-G "d" (computer science)	d
AP Comp Sci A	AP	11-12	Successful completion of Math IIICourse number N996; UC A-G "c" (computer science)	c

Canyon High School IB Course List

English 2 courses

Course	Level	Grades	Prerequisites / Conditions / Notes	UC A-G
IB English 11- HL1	IB	11	Successful completion of English 10Course number L511; Required IB Diploma course: English Language and Literature HL, year 1	b
IB English 12- HL2	IB	12	Successful completion of IB English 11-HL1Course number L994; Required IB Diploma course: English Language and Literature HL, year 2	b

Social Science 2 courses

Course	Level	Grades	Prerequisites / Conditions / Notes	UC A-G
IB History of the Americas HL1	IB	11	—Course number H984; Required IB Diploma course: History of the Americas HL, year 1	a
IB History of the Americas HL2	IB	12	Successful completion of HOTA 1Course number H985; Required IB Diploma course: History of the Americas HL, year 2	a

Mathematics 1 course

Course	Level	Grades	Prerequisites / Conditions / Notes	UC A-G
IB Math: Analysis & Approaches SL	IB	11-12	Successful completion of Math III (honors recommended)Course number N988; IB Diploma Group 5 mathematics course	c

Science 3 courses

Course	Level	Grades	Prerequisites / Conditions / Notes	UC A-G
IB Environmental Sys & Soc	IB	11-12	Successful completion of 2 years of scienceCourse number S971; Interdisciplinary science; counts toward IB Diploma Group 3, Group 4 or the elective	d
IB Sports, Exercise & Health Science	IB	11-12	Successful completion of 2 years of scienceInterdisciplinary science; no course code listed on the offerings sheet	d
IB Biology HL2	IB	12	AP Biology or IB Bio HL 1Course number S978; Life science; IB Biology HL, year 2	d

World Language 6 courses

Course	Level	Grades	Prerequisites / Conditions / Notes	UC A-G
Spanish IV IB SL	IB	11-12	Spanish IIICourse number F737; IB Diploma Group 2 Spanish SL	e
Spanish IB HL1	IB	11	Successful completion of Spanish III HonorsCourse number F715	e
Spanish IB HL2	IB	12	Successful completion of Spanish IB HL1Course number F716	e
French IV IB SL	IB	11-12	French IIICourse number F707; IB Diploma Group 2 French SL	e
French IB HL1	IB	11	Successful completion of French III HonorsCourse number F708	e
French IB HL2	IB	12	Successful completion of French IB HL1Course number F709	e

Electives 1 course

Course	Level	Grades	Prerequisites / Conditions / Notes	UC A-G
IB Philosophy	IB	11-12	—Course number X715; One of the IB Diploma elective options	g

IB Diploma Programme Core 2 courses

Course	Level	Grades	Prerequisites / Conditions / Notes	UC A-G
IB DP Core 11	IB	11	CAS & EE in fall; TOK in springIB Diploma core, year 1	g
IB DP Core 12	IB	12	TOK in fall; CAS & EE in springIB Diploma core, year 2	g

Canyon High School Course Combinations by Intended Major

EDUBUS Assessment

At Canyon High School, choosing between IB and AP depends less on difficulty than on two factors. The first is schedule space: the IB Diploma locks English, History of the Americas, biology, math and one language into IB courses, and TOK meets daily at 7:30 a.m. in the spring of grade 11 and the fall of grade 12, leaving little room to add AP Physics or AP Chemistry; students aiming for engineering or physics can fit AP Physics 1, AP Physics 2 and AP Calculus BC more easily with an AP combination. The second is the application narrative: the IB Extended Essay and CAS form a complete record of research and service, which suits students aiming for the humanities and social sciences or who want one integrated program to show academic depth. Both decisions need to be made before the IB application deadline in the spring of grade 10, because switching after grade 11 begins is costly.

Canyon High School AP and IB: Frequently Asked Questions

Irvine families ask: at Canyon High School, should a student choose AP or the IB Diploma?

Canyon High School's AP and IB tracks are not ranked by difficulty; they are two ways of organizing coursework. AP is open to all students, tested one subject at a time, and can be combined freely by intended major; the IB Diploma is a two-year program in grades 11 and 12 with six IB courses, including two required years each of English HL and History of the Americas HL, plus Theory of Knowledge, the Extended Essay and 18 months of CAS. IB suits students willing to commit two years to a complete academic program and a daily 7:30 a.m. TOK class; students who want to concentrate on AP Physics, AP Chemistry and AP Calculus BC for STEM have more flexibility with AP. The decision point is the spring of grade 10, and the IB application closes in early March.

What are the Canyon High School IB Diploma admission criteria, for Irvine families considering IB?

Canyon High School set three IB Diploma admission criteria for 2026-27: an academic weighted GPA of at least 3.0 with no grade below B-; a B or better in Math I, II or III; and a B or better in honors English or an A in regular English. The packet, including a course request schedule, grade 9 and 10 transcripts and the program policies initialed by student and parent, was due to the IB coordinator by the end of lunch on March 6, 2026, with written decisions by March 27. Once enrolled, students must keep an overall GPA of 3.0 with no grade below B-.

Irvine families want to know: what fees does the Canyon High School IB Diploma involve?

Canyon High School registers students for IB exams each September and October, and for 2026-27 the junior and senior fees are $400 each, due in October; families who qualify can submit a statement of need for financial assistance. Additional costs include a $50 suggested yearly donation, a $20 program T-shirt and a $25 IB graduation stole.

Can grade 9 students take AP at Canyon High School, a question Irvine families often ask?

Canyon High School allows grade 9 students one AP course: AP Human Geography, a grade 9 social science elective that requires a contract and does not count toward graduation requirements. Other AP courses open from grade 10, including AP European History, AP Precalculus, AP Computer Science Principles and AP Psychology, and the school recommends taking an honors course before a first AP or IB course.

Irvine families ask: which AP courses does Canyon High School not offer?

Canyon High School's 2026-27 offerings sheet does not include AP World History: Modern, AP Environmental Science, AP Microeconomics, AP Physics C, AP Chinese Language and Culture, AP Comparative Government and Politics, or AP Seminar and AP Research (AP Capstone). In addition, AP Spanish Literature and Culture, which appears in the School Profile, is not on the 2026-27 offerings sheet. Students who want these exams need to take the course outside school and register for the exam on their own.

How did Canyon High School students do on AP and IB exams, for Irvine families comparing options?

Canyon High School's 2026-27 School Profile reports that in May 2026, 879 students took 1,791 AP exams in 25 subjects, and 84% of exams earned a score of 3 or higher; the same year, 20 students earned the IB Diploma, and 80% of IB certificate students passed their exams. The school does not publish pass rates for individual AP or IB subjects.

Data verified on 2026-11-14. Course catalogs are updated each spring; prerequisites follow the school's current Course of Study.