As students prepare for the 2026–2027 school year, an important change is coming to the math department: the introduction of AP Precalculus for next year’s juniors. The new course aims to increase access to advanced mathematics classes while helping students build confidence in their abilities.

According to Math Department Head Mrs. Omobono, the course was created with students’ future success in mind. While details regarding the decision-making process could not be discussed, she explained that one of the primary goals is to provide greater access to upper-level mathematics courses and better prepare students for either AP Calculus AB or AP Calculus BC.

The course will be similar to the existing Precalculus class but will place a greater emphasis on “real-world connections and data,” making the material more tangible and applicable to students’ lives.

Because AP courses are often associated with increased rigor, some students may be hesitant to enroll. However, Mrs. Omobono encourages students to approach the course with confidence. Even students who may not consider themselves “math people” should find the class approachable, and she hopes it will help students rethink what they are capable of achieving.

As a highly competitive school, CCHS often sees students feeling pressure surrounding advanced coursework and AP exams. Mrs. Omobono emphasized that taking the AP Precalculus exam “will be up to the students, but the majority of the students will eventually take the AP Calculus test.” She also noted that many students who take AP Precalculus will eventually continue on to AP Calculus courses and exams. Taking the AP Precalculus exam has many benefits, including “exposing students to AP exams” and the AP Precalculus exam would also be eligible for college credit.

One of the biggest challenges in implementing the new course was carefully weighing its advantages and disadvantages while ensuring it aligned with the department’s existing sequence of mathematics courses. Because CCHS has followed a similar structure for many years, introducing a change of this magnitude required extensive planning, discussion, and collaboration.

Developing and implementing a new course is a significant undertaking, and the curriculum continues to be refined as the department prepares for next year. As stressful as high school is to students, it isn’t much easier for the educators, resulting in this decision not being made earlier. The exact curriculum is still continuously being ironed out, and we hope that this change will benefit the CC community! Even so, the math department is optimistic about the opportunities AP Precalculus will provide. As students begin planning for the future, the department hopes this addition will help more students challenge themselves, build confidence, and pursue higher-level mathematics.