21 Most Popular Online High School Courses Today
Apex Learning is an award-winning online school offering a variety of courses to meet the needs of every student. Learners and their families appreciate not only the breadth of the course catalog, offering classes in core and elective subjects, including AP® courses, but also the individual attention from our experienced faculty.
Perhaps the best news for high school students and parents? You can enroll in the courses of your choosing today and get started as soon as this week!
Whether you’re looking to get ahead for next year, take a prerequisite to prepare for an upcoming class, take a course not offered in your district, or simply enrich your education, we have you covered. To get started, check out the most popular classes for high school students this year:
Each of these popular Geometry courses, which follow Algebra I in students’ mathematical journeys, build upon learners' command of geometric relationships and formulating mathematical arguments.
The courses support all students as they develop computational fluency, deepen conceptual understanding, and apply mathematical practice skills. Performance tasks prepare students to synthesize their knowledge in novel, real-world scenarios and require that they make sense of multifaceted problems and persevere in solving them.
Students in the Honors section will complete advanced activities and will go deeper into their investigations; for example, they may be asked to change or validate assumptions, add constraints, or extend the project.
Precalculus and Honors Precalculus
These comprehensive courses weave together previous study of algebra, geometry, and functions into a preparatory course for calculus. Precalculus focuses on the mastery of critical skills and exposure to new skills necessary for success in subsequent math courses, including linear, quadratic, exponential, logarithmic, radical, polynomial, and rational functions; systems of equations; trigonometric ratios and functions; and arithmetic of complex numbers.
In the Honors section, connections are made to calculus, art, history, and a variety of other fields related to mathematics.
Algebra II and Honors Algebra II
Following Geometry in a student’s math progression, our popular Algebra II courses focus on advanced functions, helping students understand the expressions that define them. Students learn through discovery and application, building skills to tackle complex problems. The course emphasizes computational fluency and conceptual understanding through guided instruction, interactive feedback, real-world modeling activities, journaling, and performance tasks, preparing students to apply their knowledge in new scenarios.
In the Honors section, students extend their understanding by answering "what if" questions and thinking abstractly about the mathematics involved. They will also go deeper into their investigations in performance tasks; for example, students may be asked to change or validate assumptions, add constraints, or extend the project.
AP® Microeconomics studies the behavior of individuals and businesses as they exchange goods and services in the marketplace. Students will learn to spot patterns in economic behavior and how to use those patterns to explain buyer and seller behavior under various conditions. Students will gain an understanding of the nature and function of markets, the role of scarcity and competition, and the role of government in promoting a healthy economy. The equivalent of a 100-level college course, AP® Microeconomics prepares students for the AP® exam and for further study in business, history, and political science.
This course follows Algebra II, Geometry, and Precalculus in a student’s math progression. Students learn to understand change geometrically and visually (by studying graphs of curves), analytically (by studying and working with mathematical formulas), numerically (by seeing patterns in sets of numbers), and verbally. Instead of simply getting the right answer, students learn to evaluate the soundness of proposed solutions and to apply mathematical reasoning to real-world models. Calculus helps scientists, engineers, and financial analysts understand the complex relationships behind real-world phenomena.
The equivalent of an introductory college-level course, AP® Statistics prepares students for the AP exam and for further study in science, sociology, medicine, engineering, political science, geography, and business.
Students get hands-on experience collecting, analyzing, graphing, and interpreting real-world data. They will learn to effectively design and analyze research studies by reviewing and evaluating real research examples taken from daily life. As the art of drawing conclusions from imperfect data and the science of real-world uncertainties, statistics plays an important role in many fields.
In this course, students learn why and how the world economy can change from month to month, how to identify trends in the economy, and how to use those trends to develop performance measures and predictors of economic growth or decline. They'll also examine how individuals and institutions affect people, and how those factors can impact everyone's life through employment rates, government spending, inflation, taxes, and production. The equivalent of a 100-level college-level class, this course prepares students for the AP® exam and for further study in business, political science and history.
Algebra I is a key gateway course to success in high school. This course focuses on building students' understanding of linear, quadratic, and exponential relationships. It emphasizes discovery and application, equipping students with the skills to solve complex problems and apply their knowledge in new contexts.
The course promotes computational fluency and conceptual understanding by aligning with Common Core's mathematical practice skills. Students engage in guided instruction, interactive feedback, and diverse activities like discussions, modeling real-world scenarios, journaling, and performance tasks. These activities help students analyze, reason, construct arguments, and precisely communicate their mathematical ideas, preparing them to tackle multifaceted problems.
We also offer Honors Algebra I and Introductory Algebra, a course designed to prepare students for success in Algebra I. Learn about those and other Algebra courses in the course catalog.
Chemistry and Honors Chemistry
These popular courses prepare students to understand science's role in technology and society. Students will develop crucial scientific inquiry skills, learning to ask questions, form and test hypotheses, and draw evidence-based conclusions. Lab activities enhance critical thinking, writing, and communication. The course emphasizes real-world applications of chemistry in technology and engineering through journaling, practice activities, and explorations that challenge students to analyze scientific claims and articles, fostering a deeper understanding of scientific research.
In the Honors section, students complete exploration activities in which they are challenged to deconstruct scientific claims, analyze scientific articles, and suggest follow-up experiments or topics for further research. Project activities allow Honors students to use scientific process skills to delve deeper into topics.
In this course, students develop essential scientific skills through topics like energy, kinematics, force and motion, momentum, gravitation, thermodynamics, electricity, magnetism, waves, nuclear physics, and quantum physics, along with foundational math and chemistry for physics.
The course emphasizes scientific inquiry, teaching students to ask questions, formulate and test hypotheses, and draw evidence-based conclusions. Lab activities enhance critical thinking, writing, and communication. Honors students engage in deconstructing scientific claims, analyzing articles, and conducting projects to deepen their understanding and research skills.
This course provides an interdisciplinary exploration of the natural world, integrating concepts from geology, biology, chemistry, and geography. It covers scientific principles, concepts, and methodologies essential for understanding environmental interrelationships. Key topics include natural systems, biogeochemical cycles, energy flow, populations, communities, ecosystems, resources (renewable/nonrenewable), land use, biodiversity, pollution, conservation, sustainability, and human environmental impacts.
The curriculum emphasizes critical thinking and scientific inquiry, teaching students to ask questions, deconstruct claims, form hypotheses, and draw evidence-based conclusions. Through hands-on and virtual labs, students gain practical experience in data collection, analysis, and reporting, understanding how science, technology, and engineering contribute to a sustainable biosphere. Robust scaffolding, rigorous instruction, relevant material, and regular active learning opportunities ensure that students can achieve mastery of the skills necessary to excel on the AP® exam.
Spanish I, Spanish II and Spanish III
Each of these three levels of Spanish is popular with Apex Learning students, and they rate as the most popular world language courses. At each level, students learn vocabulary, grammar, and culture in context, followed by explanations and exercises.
In Spanish I, students learn to greet people, describe family and friends, talk about hobbies, and communicate about other topics, such as home life, occupations, travel, and medicine. Students explore words used in different Spanish-speaking regions and learn about the cultures of Spanish-speaking countries and regions within and outside Europe.
Spanish II builds on those concepts, as students learn to communicate more confidently in formal and informal situations. Instruction in language structure and grammar includes a review of present-tense verb forms, an introduction to the past tense, the conditional mood, imperatives, impersonal constructions, and reported speech.
Spanish III is a more advanced course in which students read and listen to authentic materials from newspapers, magazines, and television. The content is focused on contemporary and relevant topics such as urbanization and population growth in Latin American countries, global health concerns, jobs of the future, and scientific advancements.
Interested in other world language courses, including French, German, Mandarin Chinese, and other Spanish options? Review them in the course catalog.
AP® Psychology provides an overview of current psychological research methods and theories. Students will explore the therapies used by professional counselors and clinical psychologists and examine the reasons for normal human reactions: how people learn and think, the process of human development and human aggression, altruism, intimacy, and self-reflection. They will study core psychological concepts, such as the brain and sense functions, and learn to gauge human reactions, gather information, and form meaningful syntheses.
Learn more about all psychology courses in the course catalog.
This course helps students develop knowledge, attitudes, and essential skills in a variety of health-related subjects, including mental and emotional health, social health, nutrition, physical fitness, disease prevention and treatment, and injury prevention and safety. Through the use of accessible information, realistic interactivities, and project-based learning, students apply skills including identifying and accessing valid health information, practicing self-management, communicating effectively, and making healthy decisions.
Financial Literacy covers earning and spending; savings and investing; credit and debt; protection of assets; and financial planning and decision-making. Through real-life scenarios and hands-on activities, the course explores choosing among banking and investment options, shopping for an auto loan, choosing among career and college options, financing options for continuing education, planning for retirement, and creating and living within a budget.
As a social studies course, Financial Literacy is designed to complement courses in Economics and Mathematics for Personal Finance. This course is aligned to a variety of standards: it built to state standards and further informed by standards from the Council for Economic Education's National Standards for Financial Literacy and the Jump$tart Coalition for Personal Financial Literacy's National Standards in K-12 Personal Finance Education. It is also aligned with state standards as they apply to Financial Literacy and adheres to the National Council of Teachers of Mathematics' (NCTM) Problem Solving, Communication, Reasoning, and Mathematical Connections Process standards.
