Should I take APUSH?

FWIW, my daughter has opted to not take APUSH and her school doesn’t offer an honors level so she’ll be in regular history. She does already have AP World History and AP Gov but had to work super hard in those classes to just get a B. She dislikes history and wants to be a scientist so will take IB Biology + AP English and AP Calc AB in junior year. She also has a time consuming EC so we insisted that she stick to 3 APs (+French 5 and Band).

I’d say you have a very rigorous schedule without it and should take another AP social science senior year. If you want Stanford, yes, you need APUSH but also consider that odds are even with APUSH you probably aren’t getting into Stanford (sure, give it a shot but they reject loads of people with all As in all APs). So, focus on building a schedule that you can do well in, still have time for sleep and non-academic activities, and focuses on your interests.

You could also talk with your school counselor about what it takes at your school to get a “most rigorous” rating. Top schools will want to see that designation. I know at my kids’ school that = 5-6 APs in both junior and senior year, 1-2 APs over 9th-10th. But at a school that offers fewer APs or imposes a limit you wouldn’t need as many.