Advanced Pingree Educational Experiences (APEX)

Beginning in the 2023–2024 academic year, APEX transition courses will be open to rising eleventh- and twelfth-grade students. During this transition year, some courses will carry both the Advanced Placement (AP) and APEX course designations, while others will run solely as APEX courses. AP/APEX courses will meet the curricular requirements of the AP program while also adhering to the principles of APEX coursework. Beginning in the 2024–2025 school year, all departments will offer APEX courses, which will by open to juniors and/or seniors.

The Class of 2025 will be the first group of students eligible to enroll in APEX courses.

APEX courses build on foundational skills students develop during their time at Pingree. As such, APEX courses will typically be limited to students in grades 11 and 12. Every academic department will determine the necessary prerequisites necessary for its APEX offerings. Standard and honors-level prerequisite courses will help students to cultivate the skills necessary to succeed in APEX courses.

Yes, we hope every students will choose to harness their skills and interests by applying for APEX courses. All elements of Pingree's academic program—regardless of level—are designed to help students cultivate skills and discover passions they can leverage to deepen their engagement as as thinkers, scholars, and agents of change. This is the ultimate goal of a Pingree education.

Through the application process, students will have the opportunity to express their interest in the course material and reflect about prior coursework and projects they've completed in preparation for the course. This enrollment process will vary by academic department, but applications will have some common requirements.

As an independent school, Pingree has both the flexibility and the responsibility to continually evaluate our program to make sure we’re providing our students with the deep, meaningful learning experiences that best position them for success beyond high school. Chief among the reasons we chose to consider moving beyond the advanced placement program are:

We want every part of our curriculum to contribute toward Pingree’s goal for every student to have the ability to navigate complexity, become independent and imaginative thinkers, and relate with empathy to the needs of those around them. Although the Advanced Placement Program is widely considered to be the primary college preparatory program, the skills it prizes—memorization and performance on multiple-choice exams—are not those that we know serve our students well in college and in navigating the challenges of life. Moving beyond APs affords us the freedom to develop an advanced curriculum that best serves the interests of our students, talents of our teachers, and the needs of our world.

We want our program to contribute positively toward fostering a more inclusive, equitable, and healthful community.
Reconsidering APs has given us an opportunity to be thoughtful in addressing disparities created by the program, both in our students’ experience and in education at large. At Pingree, although only 25% of students take APs each year, the demands of the program affect every Pingree student. For example, offering AP tests limits the programming we can offer to all students for several weeks of Trimester 3. For those in AP classes, the pace of the course—which requires teachers to cover a highly specific set amount of content by the test date—can prevent the type of discourse and inquiry that lead to durable learning. Moving beyond APs allows us to address these issues thoughtfully and in alignment with our strategic equity, pace, and wellness goals.

We want our program to provide students with ample choice and voice.
Transcending APs aligns with the curricular initiatives over the last decade—such as the shift to trimesters and the creation of a robust elective program—which recognize the value of and encourage the use of students’ voice and choice. The AP curriculum, because of its adherence to College Board requirements regarding content coverage and test dates, limits the amount of academic freedom students can access.

Our students often enroll in AP classes to convey to colleges the strength of their academic schedule. By providing students with a wide variety of independently designed advanced courses, they will have the liberty to pursue authentic interests while also challenging themselves at the top of their abilities. An added benefit of transcending APs is that doing so opens pathways to the next phase of our curricular evolution, which will include more project-based learning experiences and integrated studies opportunities.

Click here to learn more about our choice to transcend APs, including our process for deciding.