All good advice and conversation. I’d add that a lot of this depends on your specific high school and community college. What AP classes are offered, who teaches them, is the teacher good, how well do students score on the exam? Kids avoid some APs at our school because the teachers aren’t strong, or are too tough. Same with the community college classes. Are they virtual, do you have to travel, is it taught in your HS? Our CC classes are generally much easier than the AP equivalent if offered and kids get college credit without worrying about the AP exam. Ask the older kids/families at your school for the best advice, or ask the AP teachers for test score statistics from past years. Lastly, it really depends on the student. Don’t try to keep up with the others if they aren’t capable.