Honors Program

The York County School Division Honors Program is designed to provide students in grades 8-12 with the opportunity to complete a rigorous academic program.

Eligible students choosing to participate in this program are required to complete courses prescribed by the Honors Program, maintain a specified Grade Point Average (GPA), and complete 20 hours of community service outside of school. For going beyond the state's requirements for an Advanced Studies Diploma, students who successfully complete the Honors Program will be recognized with the Honors Program Seal on their diplomas.

Eligible high school Honors Program students may participate in the Dual Enrollment or the Governor's School for Science and Technology at New Horizons as their home school class schedules permit.

Eligibility

Students who have demonstrated general academic strength and high ability in English and mathematics are eligible to enter the program in their eighth-grade year.

After grade 8, only students who transfer into York County from other school divisions are eligible to enter the Honors Program. Transfer students must be able to demonstrate that they have taken comparable courses and that they have met grade requirements in order to participate in the program.

Course Requirements

Grade 8

Advanced English 8; Civics and Economics; Algebra I or Advanced Geometry; Physical Science 8; World Language I/II (French, German, Spanish), Physical Education & Lifetime Fitness 8; Elective

Grade 9-12

• Students enrolled in the Honors Program may not earn a final grade lower than a C in any course throughout their participation in the Honors Program. As a result of program changes, beginning fall 2014, students must maintain a minimum cumulative GPA of 3.25 in grade 9, and a cumulative GPA of 3.5 throughout grades 10-12. Students must take a minimum of six Advanced Placement (AP) classes covering four content areas.
• Students must take a minimum of four consecutive years of a world language. World language courses taken for high school credit and successfully completed in the seventh grade may count as one of the four consecutive years.
• To remain in the Honors Program, students must stay enrolled in a full course load each year. With the exception of students in eighth grade, Honors Program students may not expunge a grade, may not repeat a course, and may not drop/withdraw from a class after the drop/add period. Students in eighth grade who decide to expunge Advanced Geometry or a World Language Level II course may remain in the Honors Program, but they may not expunge or repeat Algebra I or any World Language Level I course.
• Students must complete 20 hours of community service outside of school. Community service hours for the Honors Program may be logged beginning in the first semester of ninth grade.

Enrollment

Enrollment in the Honors Program takes place in the fall of a student's eighth grade year. Additional information on this academic opportunity is available in the school counseling department of each middle and high school.