Orange County School of the Arts offers 23 AP courses and 7 weighted honors courses. In May 2026, 1,042 students took 2,757 AP exams across 31 subjects, and 91% of exams earned a score of 3 or higher. This page brings together the grade levels, prerequisites, and pairing recommendations for each course to help families decide which courses to take and in which grade.
Three Years of Exam Volume and Pass Rates
The school publishes its pass rate per exam: the number of exams scoring 3 or higher divided by the total number of exams taken. Some schools publish a per-student figure instead, the share of students who scored 3 or higher on at least one exam, which is higher. The two measures cannot be used interchangeably.
| Year | Students / Exams / Subjects / Scored 3 or Higher |
|---|---|
| May 2026 | 1,042 students / 2,757 exams / 31 subjects / 91% |
| May 2025 | 944 students / 2,475 exams / 31 subjects / 90% |
| May 2024 | 871 students / 2,238 exams / 25 subjects / 89% |
Over three years, the number of exams rose from 2,238 to 2,757, the number of subjects rose from 25 to 31, and the pass rate rose from 89% to 91%. Note that the school offers only 23 AP courses while exams covered 31 subjects; the difference comes from students who prepared outside the school and registered on their own.
AP Awards
The College Board grants AP awards based on a student’s performance across all AP exams. The school does not publish the distribution of scores from 5 to 1; it publishes only the following figures.
| 2026 AP Awards | Students |
|---|---|
| AP Scholar with Distinction (average score of at least 3.5 on all exams taken and scores of 3 or higher on five or more exams) | 339 |
| AP Scholar with Honor (average score of at least 3.25 on all exams taken and scores of 3 or higher on four or more exams) | 122 |
| AP Scholar (scores of 3 or higher on three or more exams) | 152 |
| AP Capstone Diploma | 40 |
| AP Seminar and Research Certificate | 11 |
Grade Levels Offered
No AP courses are offered in Grades 7 through 9. In Grade 10, students may take AP World History, AP Art History, AP Music Theory, AP Computer Science Principles, AP Physics 1 and AP Seminar. Most AP courses are taken in Grades 11 and 12. AP Government and Politics and AP Macroeconomics are offered only in Grade 12 and must be taken together, one semester each in consecutive semesters.
Prerequisites for Each AP Course
The following requirements come from the 2026-27 course handbook, one course per row. CP refers to regular College Prep courses. Cumulative academic GPA refers to the GPA in academic courses, excluding physical education and conservatory courses.
| AP Course (Grades Offered) | Prerequisites |
|---|---|
| AP Language and Composition (11) | A in Literature and Composition II, or B or higher in both semesters of Literature and Composition II Honors |
| AP Literature and Composition (12) | A in both semesters of Literature and Composition III, or B or higher in both semesters of AP Language and Composition |
| AP World History (10, 12) | Cumulative academic GPA of 3.25 or higher; B or higher in both semesters of Literature and Composition I |
| AP United States History (11) | B in both semesters of AP World History, or A in both semesters of World History |
| AP Government and Politics (12, one semester) | Average of B in AP United States History, or average of A in United States History; must be taken together with AP Macroeconomics |
| AP Macroeconomics (12, one semester) | Cumulative academic GPA of 3.25 or higher; B or higher in Integrated Math III; must be taken together with AP Government and Politics |
| AP Calculus AB/BC (11 to 12) | B or higher in Integrated Math III Enhanced, or B or higher in Pre-Calculus |
| AP Statistics (11 to 12) | B or higher in Integrated Math III or a higher course, or C or higher in Integrated Math III Enhanced |
| AP Biology (11 to 12) | B or higher in Biology of the Living Earth and in Chemistry or Physics; C or higher is sufficient for students who took Chemistry Honors |
| AP Chemistry (11 to 12) | A in both semesters of Chemistry, or B in both semesters of Chemistry Honors |
| AP Physics 1 (10 to 12) | B or higher in both semesters of Integrated Math III, or C or higher in Integrated Math III Enhanced, or B or higher in Physics with concurrent enrollment in Integrated Math III |
| AP Physics 2 (11 to 12) | B or higher in Physics, or completion of AP Physics 1 (recommended), and B or higher in both semesters of Integrated Math III |
| AP Environmental Science (11 to 12) | B or higher in both semesters of Biology of the Living Earth and B or higher in both semesters of another laboratory science, preferably Chemistry |
| AP Computer Science Principles (10 to 12) | B or higher in Integrated Math I |
| AP Psychology (11 to 12) | C or higher in both Biology of the Living Earth and Integrated Math II |
| AP Seminar (10 to 11) | Application-based course; first year of the AP Capstone program, to be followed by AP Research the next year |
| AP Research (11 to 12) | Completion of AP Seminar |
| AP Art History (10 to 12) | Cumulative academic GPA of 3.0 or higher |
| AP Music Theory (10 to 12) | Cumulative academic GPA of 3.0 or higher; fluent music reading; instrumental or vocal experience, with students lacking the foundation required to take Piano I first |
| AP Art and Design (11 to 12) | Cumulative academic GPA of 3.0 or higher; enrollment in the Visual Arts or Design and Media conservatory, or B or higher in a high school two-dimensional art course |
| AP Chinese Language and Culture (11 to 12) | A in both semesters of Mandarin IV Honors |
| AP French Language and Culture (11 to 12) | A in French IV, or B in both semesters of French III Honors |
| AP Spanish Language and Culture (11 to 12) | A in both semesters of Spanish IV Honors |
AP Courses the School Does Not Offer
- AP Calculus BC as a separate class (the school offers a single combined AP Calculus AB/BC course that prepares students for the BC exam)
- AP Physics C
- AP Microeconomics
- AP Human Geography
- AP Comparative Government
- AP Computer Science A
- AP Japanese and AP German
In 2026, students took AP exams in 31 subjects while the school offers only 23 courses, which shows that students prepare outside the school and register for exams every year. Note that beginning with the Class of 2029, courses taken outside the school do not count toward Orange County School of the Arts graduation requirements, do not appear on the school transcript, and do not count toward the school GPA. AP exam scores, however, are reported directly to colleges by the College Board and are not affected by this rule. In other words, an AP course taken outside the school now leads only to an exam score, not to course credit.
AP Course List (from the Course Handbook)
Literature and Composition
| Course | Level | Grades | Prerequisites / Conditions / Notes | UC A-G |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| AP Language and Composition | AP | 11 | Completion of Lit & Comp II, grade of A, or Lit & Comp IIH, grade of B or higher both semestersWeighted | b |
| AP Literature and Composition | AP | 12 | Completion of Lit & Comp III, grade of A both semesters, or AP Language, grade of B or higher both semestersWeighted | b |
Social Science
| Course | Level | Grades | Prerequisites / Conditions / Notes | UC A-G |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| AP World History | AP | 10, 12 | 3.25 cumulative academic GPA; Lit & Comp I, grade of B or higher both semestersWeighted | a |
| AP United States History | AP | 11 | AP World History, grade of B both semesters, or World History, grade of A both semestersWeighted | a |
| AP Government and Politics | AP | 12 | AP U.S. History with a B average, or U.S. History with an A averageSemester; must be taken together with AP Macroeconomics; Weighted | a |
| AP Macroeconomics | AP | 12 | 3.25 cumulative academic GPA; Integrated III, grade of B or betterSemester; must be taken together with AP Government; Weighted | g |
Mathematics
| Course | Level | Grades | Prerequisites / Conditions / Notes | UC A-G |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| AP Calculus AB/BC | AP | 11-12 | Integrated III Enhanced, grade of B or better, or Pre-Calculus, grade of B or betterPrepares for the AP Calculus BC exam; Weighted | c |
| AP Statistics | AP | 11-12 | Integrated III or higher, grade of B or better, or Integrated III Enhanced, grade of C or betterWeighted | c |
Science
| Course | Level | Grades | Prerequisites / Conditions / Notes | UC A-G |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| AP Biology | AP | 11-12 | Biology of the Living Earth and Chemistry or Physics, grade of B or better both semesters; Honors Chemistry, grade of C or betterWeighted | d |
| AP Chemistry | AP | 11-12 | Chemistry, grade of A both semesters, or Honors Chemistry, grade of B both semestersWeighted | d |
| AP Environmental Science | AP | 11-12 | Biology of the Living Earth, grade of B or better both semesters, and another lab science, grade of B or better (Chemistry preferred)Weighted | d |
| AP Physics 1 | AP | 10-12 | Integrated III, grade of B or better both semesters, or Integrated III Enhanced, grade of C or better, or Physics, grade of B or better with concurrent Integrated III/III EnhancedWeighted | d |
| AP Physics 2 | AP | 11-12 | Physics, grade of B or better, or AP Physics 1 (recommended), and Integrated III, grade of B or better both semesters, or Integrated III Enhanced, grade of C or betterWeighted | d |
| AP Computer Science Principles | AP | 10-12 | Integrated I, grade of B or higherWeighted | d |
World Language
| Course | Level | Grades | Prerequisites / Conditions / Notes | UC A-G |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| AP French Language and Culture | AP | 11-12 | French IV, grade of A, or French IIIH, grade of B both semestersWeighted | e |
| AP Chinese Language and Culture | AP | 11-12 | Mandarin IVH, grade of A both semestersWeighted | e |
| AP Spanish Language and Culture | AP | 11-12 | Spanish IV Honors, grade of A both semestersWeighted | e |
Electives
| Course | Level | Grades | Prerequisites / Conditions / Notes | UC A-G |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| AP Psychology | AP | 11-12 | Biology of the Living Earth and Integrated II, grades of C or betterWeighted | g |
| AP Seminar | AP | 10-11 | Application-based; first year of the two-year AP Capstone programWeighted | g |
| AP Research | AP | 11-12 | Completion of AP SeminarWeighted | g |
Visual and Performing Arts
| Course | Level | Grades | Prerequisites / Conditions / Notes | UC A-G |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| AP Art and Design | AP | 11-12 | Academic GPA of 3.0 or higher; Visual Arts or Design & Media Conservatory, and/or a B or higher in a high school 2D art and design course$25 suggested materials fee; Weighted | f |
| AP Art History | AP | 10-12 | Academic GPA of 3.0 or higherWeighted | f |
| AP Music Theory | AP | 10-12 | Academic GPA of 3.0 or higher; fluent reader of standard music notation in at least one clef; students with limited music background must take Piano I firstWeighted | f |
Recommended Combinations by Intended Major
The two recommendations below are built around the real constraint of three academic blocks per day and assume the student is on the accelerated math track.
Frequently Asked Questions
How is the 91% AP pass rate at Orange County School of the Arts calculated?
It is calculated per exam. The 2026-27 Academic Profile of Orange County School of the Arts states that 91% of the AP exams received passing scores, meaning the number of exams scoring 3 or higher divided by the total number of exams taken. In May 2026, 1,042 students took 2,757 exams across 31 subjects. Note that some schools publish a per-student figure instead, the share of students who scored 3 or higher on at least one exam, which is noticeably higher; the two measures cannot be compared directly.
Can grade 9 students at Orange County School of the Arts take AP courses?
No. Orange County School of the Arts offers no AP courses in grades 7 through 9. In grade 10, students may take AP World History, AP Art History, AP Music Theory, AP Computer Science Principles, AP Physics 1, and AP Seminar. Most AP courses are concentrated in grades 11 and 12, and AP Government and Politics and AP Macroeconomics are offered only in grade 12.
How many AP courses can an Orange County School of the Arts student take in a year?
Usually one or two. Orange County School of the Arts students in grades 7 through 11 have only three 85-minute academic blocks per day, and students in grade 12 have at least two; conservatory classes are scheduled outside these blocks. With six academic or elective courses per school year, and five of them taken up by required English, math, science, social science, and world language courses, there is very little room for elective AP courses. The school sets no written limit on the number of AP courses; the real constraint is the schedule.
When Irvine families compare Orange County School of the Arts with their district high school, are the number and range of AP courses the same?
No. Orange County School of the Arts belongs to no school district and is not part of the Irvine Unified School District. It is an independently operated public charter school that sets its own AP course range. It does not offer AP Physics C, AP Microeconomics, AP Computer Science A, AP Human Geography, or AP Comparative Government and Politics, and AP Calculus is offered only as a single combined AB/BC course. In 2026, students took AP exams in 31 subjects while the school offers only 23 courses; the difference comes from students who registered on their own. EDUBUS advisors are based in Irvine and can help families compare course planning at charter schools of this kind with district high schools.
Is the AP Capstone program at Orange County School of the Arts worth taking?
It is worth considering, but it must be planned early. AP Seminar at Orange County School of the Arts is an application-based course taken in grade 10 or 11, and it must be followed by AP Research the next year, occupying two academic course slots over two years. In 2026, 40 students earned the AP Capstone Diploma and 11 earned the AP Seminar and Research Certificate. For conservatory students, the research and writing training in these two courses relates directly to the skills needed for personal statements and portfolio statements.
