Fairmont Preparatory Academy Math:
Algebra I to Multivariable

Fairmont Preparatory Academy uses the traditional sequence of algebra, geometry, and Algebra II, with trigonometry taught within Algebra II under the course title Algebra II/Trigonometry. This differs from the Integrated Math I, II, and III used by the Irvine Unified School District, and grade-level equivalents between the two systems cannot be converted directly. What distinguishes mathematics at this school is its ceiling: after AP Calculus BC, there are five more college-level honors courses, which the website calls the Advanced Mathematics Program. This page explains how initial placement is determined, the prerequisites at each step, the rules for summer acceleration, and the highest course available.

Four Mathematics Pathways

The difference between the pathways is the starting point. The standard pathway reaches Precalculus or Statistics in grade 12 without entering calculus; the accelerated pathway reaches AP Calculus in grade 12; and the fast track takes AP Calculus BC in grade 11 and enters college-level mathematics in grade 12. AP Calculus BC at this school covers all AB and BC content in one year, and an A in Precalculus (H) qualifies a student for it directly, without taking AP Calculus AB first.

Prerequisites at Each Step

The table below is compiled course by course from the 2026-27 course catalog.

The prerequisites follow two patterns. First, moving from a CP course to an honors course generally requires an A in the preceding course, while moving between honors courses requires only a B. Second, Algebra II/Trigonometry (H) is the branching point: with a B or higher, students can enter AP Precalculus or AP Statistics, or take Precalculus (H) in summer, whereas students in Algebra II/Trigonometry CP can enter only Precalculus CP or Statistics CP. The “mathematics applications course” in the table refers to Math Applications and Interpretation IB SL, which the 2026-27 course catalog no longer lists.

Summer Acceleration and Outside Courses

Math courses on the website's summer courses page are Algebra I (CP), Geometry (CP or honors), and Precalculus (H), at $550 per course per session plus a $30 materials fee. The course catalog states that Precalculus (H) is offered only in summer and requires a B or higher in Algebra II/Trigonometry (H). Summer courses taken for advancement must be taken at the school and require prior approval.

The rules for outside courses are stricter. Courses not offered at the school may be taken elsewhere, but require approval from the department chair and the Head of School before registration; approved outside courses earn credit, but their grades do not count in the school GPA. Summer courses taken for advancement must be taken at the school. For this reason, students who want to reach calculus early usually go through the school’s summer program: Geometry (H) or Precalculus (H) in the summer after grade 9. Because Precalculus (H) is offered only in summer, this point is especially important in planning: students who want to move directly from Algebra II/Trigonometry (H) to AP Calculus BC must reserve the intervening summer for this course; otherwise they must take AP Precalculus during the school year, which delays calculus by one year.

The Highest Course Available

After AP Calculus BC, the school offers five more honors courses, all of them UC-approved honors courses:

• Multivariable Calculus (H): B or higher in AP Calculus BC, or mathematics department approval
• Differential Equations and Linear Algebra (H): B or higher in AP Calculus BC
• Advanced Discrete Mathematics and Number Theory (H): B or higher in AP Calculus BC
• Complex Analysis (H): mathematics department approval
• Abstract Algebra (H): mathematics department approval

The website's STEM page states that 11 students in the Advanced Mathematics Program qualified for the American Invitational Mathematics Examination (AIME), 1 student won a silver medal at the USA Mathematical Olympiad (USAMO), and 1 student was selected for the Mathematical Olympiad Summer Program (MOP), without stating the years; the same page reports an average GPA of 4.5 for Advanced Mathematics Program students.

Computer science courses are split between two departments. AP Computer Science Principles belongs to the science department and is available from grade 9. AP Computer Science A belongs to the mathematics department, is open to grades 11 and 12, and requires a B or higher in AP Computer Science Principles or mathematics department approval. Students can then continue to Advanced Coding and AI Applications (H), a category g elective on the UC list that can count as a program course for ASEP students in grade 11 or 12.

Mathematics Course List

Data verified on 2026-09-23. Course catalogs are updated each spring; prerequisites follow the school's current Course of Study.