There is a lot of opportunity to show rigor through depth (as opposed to random one off filler electives or a checklist of AP coursework). Many History electives are stand alone classes but also follow a continuum. A student could WWI followed by WWII, for example. Alternatively they could take the full year sequence of US Government offerings. I think that is the idea anyway… the school limits APs to 3 per year (and most won’t take their first one until Jr year) to give students the opportunity to explore areas of interest in different ways.
Also, there are many alternatives for the same class. For example, everyone takes AP English in 11th grade, but you can choose the theme: “Autobiographies” or “Moral Dilemmas” (there is a third one but it escapes me). All teach the same critical writing skills, but the reading material is different.
Senior English also allows the student so choose the “theme” and like with AP English some will have more challenging reading materials than others. In this class students write a Sr Thesis but can opt to write a more complex Honors Thesis. An Honors Thesis is highlighted as its own line and grade on a students transcript.