Students at Prior Lake High School have a broad range of opportunities to challenge themselves academically as they explore and pursue their interests and talents.
The Gifted and Talented Specialist supports students by connecting them to school resources and, as needed, assisting with academic planning.
Honors Courses
Advanced Courses in English, Science, Social Studies, History and Math are designed to cover the same outcomes and curriculum as general courses, with variations in pacing, depth and complexity of study. The challenge offered by a course should provide a sufficient amount of rigor with the probability of success, and result in academic growth and confidence building. To match students’ academic readiness and needs with the most appropriate classroom setting, a placement consideration process is used to determine which students would be placed in each Advanced Course sequence.
Advanced Placement Courses
Students in Advanced Placement (AP) courses use college-level resources to learn college-level content, but do it in the setting of the high school with specially-trained high school teachers. AP courses challenge learners to sharpen their academic skills, think critically, and engage deeply in topics of interest. Each spring, students have the opportunity to take AP Exams to possibly earn college credit.
Click here to learn more about Advanced Placement (AP) courses.
Hybrid/Online Courses
Hybrid/Online courses are intended to support students in attaining future-ready skills. Teachers will meet with students periodically each week, while students also participate in class online. The curriculum and outcomes for hybrid courses are the same as general courses---only the delivery method is different. These courses are currently only open to juniors and seniors
MNCAPS
The Minnesota Center for Advanced Professional Studies (MNCAPS) program is a nationally recognized, innovative high school program. Students fast-forward into their future and are fully immersed in a professional culture, solving real-world problems, using industry standard tools and are mentored by actual employers, all while receiving high school and college credit. MNCAPS is open to all juniors and seniors.
Click here to learn more about MNCAPS.