Incoming Freshmen

Generally, students take 4-5 courses from the academic areas, English, Math, Science, Social Studies, World Language.

Colleges do not require AP courses for admission. The value of AP courses as it pertains to college admission depends on the individual college. We recommend that students take courses that are appropriately challenging for them.

Per Board Policy, students can request a PE exemption only when participating in a varsity GBN athletic activity as a junior or senior.  Students may be approved for a partial waiver, an excusal from PE and addition of Study Hall while their sport is in season. Students can request a full semester waiver if enrolled in 7 courses other than PE. Please note that PE waivers will not be granted from High Adventure or Physical Management.

Once the GBN graduation requirement is met in a specific area, any courses taken beyond that are considered electives. For example, because 3 years of Math are required for graduation, a 4th year is an elective.

Students who plan to apply to 4 year colleges/universities should expect to take the following: English (4 years), Math (3+ years), Science (2+ years), Social Studies (3+ years), World Language (2+  years). The selectivity of the specific college and intended major will also play a role. Students should discuss their post-secondary plans with their counselors during their course registration meeting. 
 

More Information

The student is advised to talk with the teacher about their interest. If after that conversation, the student continues to be interested in the level change they should submit the Change of Level Form (located on the Student Services page of the GBN website) to the specific department. The Department Instructional Supervisor will review the request and process the form with a decision. 

Students who take Health in Summer School are required to take a full year of PE during the sophomore year. They will graduate with 4.0 credits of PE whereas students who take Health during the school year will graduate with 3.5 credits of PE.

GBN does not require that students take a world language to graduate. However, we strongly encourage students who are considering attending a 4-year college/university to take at least 2 consecutive years of the same language to meet potential college requirements.  

GBN does not require a world language for graduation. However, we do suggest that students take as many years of a world language as their schedule and skill allow. Students are also encouraged to reflect on the value of a world language as it pertains to their post-secondary goals.

Students must enroll in 6 or 7 courses each semester. Students who choose 6 courses will have 1 block of SRT and 1 block of Study Hall. Neither SRT nor Study Hall is listed on the transcript. Taking 6 courses still allows students to take all of the required and recommended courses for graduation and college admission. Some students find that taking both SRT and Study Hall helps them better manage their course load, make time to access school resource centers, have time for extracurricular activities, and maintain their mental health.