In our school, a kid can take up to 9 classes per semester, but the school doesn’t recommend more than 7-8 per semester. There is no band (the school is too small) so any musicians either play on their own or participate in the district band or youth orchestra associated with the local symphony. That opens a class period up.
@Mom2aphysicsgeek – Students in our high school may take 8 courses - but most, not all, students try to have 1 free period. Lots of requirements in NY so not many electives if students don’t load up on classes. Need 22 or 23 credits I think to graduate - most end up with at least several more. My DS took 7 in 9th grade and then 8 in 10 & 11 and took an online AP Computer Science course last year as well. Also a couple of 1/2 credits for early morning music group and got a couple of HS credits while in middle school so I think he’ll have 28 credits total this year and 36 or so when he finishes. Electives count the same as core courses.
Ok @ynotgo and @novicemom23kids, both of those are just nuts. Lower GPA bc they take more difficult classes and lunch counting as a period? Crazy.
Thanks for the warm welcome, everyone!
At our high school (2200 students, about 78 percent graduation rate :-() students usually take six periods with an optional 7th period or online class, if wanted and needed. Some clubs meet during 7th period, instead of lunch, and no bus transportation is provided after 7th period, only after 6th. If seniors have enough credit from taking HS courses in middle school, they are allowed to take only 2 or 3 credits to fulfill requirements for graduation. Room is often tight and schools get fined if they place more than 25 students in academic or semi-core classes.
how do they manage ECs with 8 periods (and additional homework)? what are school hours? for us 7:45 to 2:50
Oops, dd just corrected me. She is only taking 7.5 credits next yr bc gov’t is only .5 credits. She is taking both macro and micro, so she will get .5 for each.
Who else still has kids in school? We still have 3 weeks here in PA – just finished AP exams but kids are now busy with final projects and finals coming soon. There are music performances/concerts that they are preparing for next week. Of course we did not start until the week before Labor Day (last week of August).
@novicemom23kids D is in school until the end of next week. She is finished with her projects as of today, but will be taking a few optional finals next week. Otherwise, they’ve been playing ping pong, having parties, and goofing off in class (she had only AP classes this year).
D in school until June 4. Started last full week of August. School goes 8:30-3:30. 9 periods in day, one for lunch. She has a 4.0 in lunch. ~O)
While my kids won’t touch the SAT/ACT books, I had DS’s BFF come over to study SAT. I am so Happy 
to be able to help him. He is targeting service academies but his scores are on the low side. I told him to bring his books and come over and I would tutor him. He came over but with SAT books from 2012 :(( (his sister’s??) I suppose he has no clue. I researched and got all new books. Untouched prepbooks are not in short supply in my household. I had him use the revised SAT books (by Erica Meltzer)
Good to see someone motivated to study and the books put into good use! :))
Last year D did not have finals in AP classes - not so this year. She has an APUSH final, an AP Econ. project, and an AP physics final. AP Lit did give a break and no final but she still has one more paper. She was really hoping that she could concentrate on getting ready for ACT in June.
@srk2017 Our local HS has 8 periods, but we’re on a rotating “A” day (period 1-4) and “B” day (period 5-8) schedule. Each period is 90 minutes, and some classes (like Calc BC) are double block classes (two periods, one on A days and the other on B days). Schools hours is 7:15 am to 2:00 pm.
Ours end on Thursday. DS will have 1 1/2 day to prep for SAT Biology test. He did one diagnostic test and figured he needs to study one topic to get full score. I hope he is not over confident. We will probably celebrate end of NorCal drought on Sunday by visiting Yosemite 
We only have 7 periods in a day so kids can take 7 full-year classes. One could do 5-6 full year classes (5 cores, and orchestra, band) and take a few half-year classes such as PE, Art, Theater, Health, study hall.
DS had full 7 classes (AP Lang, Calc BC, APUSH, AP Chem, Spanish 3, Orchestra, Honors Physics) so he had to forego Thursday’s lunch for required Junior seminar.
By the way, we finally (today) got the March 5th SAT scores (after multiple calls, and much yelling). It’s high enough that I can see D17’s head swelling up now…how is he ever going to fit a hat on that watermelon sized head?
Now I have to find a way to motivate him for the July test, He needs a few more points before he’s competitive for merit scholarships at a few of our targeted schools. Need a strategy…maybe just more yelling? May not work but it does make me feel better. \m/
My kids school has 7 classes. No free periods, no PE (there is a required health class but it’s just one year and you can take it online which my kids did in 8th grade. Most seniors take 5 classes and do early release from school because they have fulfilled all of their requirements. School is from 7:15-2:15. With early release my D16 came home at noon every day. Gotta say it was super nice not to make her lunch every morning. Looking forward to D17 coming home next year too at noon. I won’t miss making lunches ever!
@Gator88NE hooray for SAT scores! And congrats on the big hat
School ends for us June 4th as well. There are seven class periods, though both my Ds utilize one of them with a study hall elective. This really helps them catch up (or get ahead) on homework. Their class schedule does rotate though since they normally only attend six classes each day. They usually have A & B period every day, then C through G periods rotate so that you only go to 4 of those 5 each day. This has been especially helpful to D19, the gymnast. She has to leave one period early from school every day in order to make it to practice on time, and with the rotation it means she doesn’t miss any one class more than once a week. She has to make up all the work/quizzes/tests she misses, but I am still amazed at how she has handled the rigorous course load on top of 25+ hours/wk of practice.
Congrats on the good news @Gator88NE !
D (homeschooler) will be taking one year-long online English class and 3 blocked-in-a-semester classes fall and then spring. There is the possibility of an 8th class taken during the university’s winter session or one of those semester classes being taken then instead.
Her older siblings’ high schools allowed 7 scheduled classes senior year (English and theology/ethics were required). Most in the higher phases took 6. Ds added band and dd added chorus.
We go til the end of next week as well. We have 8 periods in the school day plus lunch and a special “tutoring” period for anyone with missing or incomplete work or a failing or “watch” grade. If you’re on the FIW list, you have to stay for tutoring and are ineligible for school ECs (online errors often cause frantic texts from parents during school day).
DS usually takes 6-7 core classes plus band leaving a study hall during a soccer season. Next year, he has 1 additional elective each semester so only 6 and 5 core classes. No classes or ECs allowed over lunch as they split into different lunchtimes before, during or after 5th period.
TOP – although I had to go back and correct “lust” for “list”!
ETA School goes 8-3:15
My DD is in school until the 8th. She’s so ready for the year to be over. I knew she was burnt out when she said she doesn’t care if she gets a B in PreCal. She has worked so hard for her straight As this year. Her school is on a block schedule so four classes per semester which is 8 courses per year. No PE since that is only required first two years. She has a TA period required because of her participation in Culture Keepers (a mediation program for student conflicts) and she has Leadership as an A period since Freshman year since she’s class president. So her day is 7:15-3:45 except Weds she gets out at 2:35. The normal school day is 8:05-3:45 and their blocks are 100 minutes long.
I opted her out of SBac testing as they did it right after APs and she was worn out.