Students enrolled in these college-level courses may take an examination in the spring, the results of which are used by many colleges and universities to award college credit.

Students who complete AP courses are:

• better prepared academically
• more likely to specialize in stringent majors
• more likely to complete more college work in four (4) years
• found to perform slightly better than peers who did not take AP courses
• more likely to exercise leadership
• twice as likely to go into advanced study (Ph.D., medicine, law)

The cost of an AP exam is small compared to the average cost per course in public or private universities. We encourage you to consider enrolling in one or more of the many GISD AP courses which give you an opportunity to pursue college-level studies while still in high school. Enrollment in AP courses is open to all students that meet course prerequisites outlined in the high school course guide.

Review the AP vs. Dual Credit document for information on the differences of each course type.

AP Scholar Awards

The AP program recognizes students that demonstrate outstanding performance on their Advanced Placement exams. Learn more on the College Board AP Scholar Awards page.

Available AP courses

AP Capstone Diploma Program

• AP Research
• AP Seminar

Arts

• AP 2-D Art and Design
• AP 3-D Art and Design
• AP Drawing
• AP Art History
• AP Music Theory

English

• AP English Language and Composition
• AP English Literature and Composition

History and Social Sciences

• AP African American Studies
• AP Comparative Government and Politics
• AP European History
• AP Human Geography
• AP Macroeconomics
• AP Microeconomics
• AP Psychology
• AP United States Government and Politics
• AP United States History
• AP World History: Modern

Math and Computer Science

• AP Calculus AB
• AP Calculus BC
• AP Computer Science A
• AP Computer Science Principles
• AP Precalculus
• AP Statistics

Sciences

• AP Biology
• AP Chemistry
• AP Physics 1: Algebra-Based
• AP Physics 2: Algebra-Based
• AP Physics C: Electricity and Magnetism
• AP Physics C: Mechanics

World Languages and Cultures

• AP French Language and Culture
• AP German Language and Culture
• AP Latin Language and Culture
• AP Spanish Language and Culture
• AP Spanish Literature and Culture

Online classes

We don't offer online AP classes at this time. While there are several companies that do offer this service, Garland ISD board policy prohibits commercial endorsements so we cannot provide links to these companies.

Homeschooled students

Homeschooled students interested in taking an AP exam must:

• Contact Carrie Whitaker, coordinator, RAAD Department at cawhitak@garlandisd.net no later than October 1, 2025 for year long and spring semester courses.
• Orders are submitted for year long courses are due PER College Board/AP testing no later than November 2025 & Spring Semester only courses are due March 2026. 

No Homeschool students' reservations will be accepted after the above deadlines.

See the upcoming AP test dates on the AP Testing dates page.

Learn more about AP

Contact the Advanced Placement division of the College Board for non-GISD specific AP program information.