Hello, My son is a HS junior this year and he is doubling up on sciences - AP Chem and Physics Honors. This so that he can take Advanced topics on Physics next year and be able to do AP physics. But the teacher he got for his physics honors class is known for very hard tests. Only 4 out of 80 students last year scored an A in his class. So he is thinking of dropping honors to reg. I am not sure if its a good idea, as many of the forums I searched say that the rigor of his courses also matter. Would appreciate any advice on this. Thanks much in advance! - JB
Is honors physics the prerequisite for AP physics senior year? Is your son planning on pursuing STEM. If so, I would stick to honors physics.
Thanks for the response! He has to take either physics honors and pass with 70% or take physics reg and get above 90%. And yes he is planning to pursue STEM.
He will likely be much better prepared for AP Physics with honors physics.
In terms of the grading, the solution is simple - be one of the 4 students with an A. 
Even if he isn’t, one sub-A won’t torpedo his admissions opportunities.
Also, I would take the 4/80 get A’s comment with a grain of salt, unless this teacher posts this fact on his blog.
So a normal grade distribution then. He should get used to it. That’s the way it often is in college, especially for STEM. subjects.
I’d stick with the honors physics. My older son did end up in a regular physics class because of scheduling issues and had no problems with AP Physics C. It probably cost him a couple of places in his rank.
Thanks everyone! I will take this input and discuss with him. This was helpful.
Does his school send out school profile to colleges? If so, adcoms would be able to see how many students received A in the class. It is also not the end of world to receive a B or B+ in a tough class.
Thanks! The main issue is the teacher doesnt teach much and its going to be a lot of self study. He thinks it would be tough to handle since he is also doing AP chem.
I can count on my right hand the number of school profiles I’ve seen (and I’ve seen a lot) that list grade distribution by course. But AOs will generally see the overall grade distribution, so in theory, there might only be 4 students with a higher overall GPA.
Just know that this is an acceptable excuse to nobody. Many students will have a teacher that does not teach. Many people in life will have an ineffective boss. Neither grants one a pass. That’s where resourcefulness comes into play.
It is a tough call. Of course getting an A in honors is the best possible outcome, but a B will also not impede his chances at a top school if all the other grades are good. Also, if your school sends out a profile, it will explain the grade distribution but by course, not by class. That is if there is another honoros physics class that give out half As, the distribution will show a higher percentage of As then this teacher gives.
OTOH, if the class is so hard that he will also do poorly in all his other classes, it may make sense to move to the regular track. It really will be up to him. He certainly will be better prepared for AP physics with the honors class and also have the experience of a very difficult class before he gets to college.
Just piping up to say, our high school does not explain grade distribution by class or by course.
My kids’ school gave out grade distribution by course. Also AP score distribution by course.
At our school the profile is an outdated fluff piece. Really nothing substantive. Just said how great we are, and doesn’t even explain the 2 grading systems and 4 different schedules we have had over the last 4 years.
That’s more common that grade distribution by course, but still far from ubiquitous.
Also par for the course in college. Your son may find himself in classes where the professor/T.A. is terrible at teaching and isn’t even fluent in English. If your son plans on handling a rigorous STEM program in college he should have the ability, resourcefulness, and self-discipline to be able to manage a class with a sub-optimum teaching. It’s not ideal, but that’s the reality of a college education. The sooner he develops those skills the better.
@oldfort, it was a private school wasn’t it? I don’t think it’s typical for large public schools. Our school profile only lists how many APs were taken in each subject, an average grade for the subject tests taken, and the number of AP scholars, and AP scholars with distinction. It’s possible that the GC or the teachers say more in their letters, but the point is, that you can’t count on it.
I’ll always remember someone asking a panel if it was better to get a B in an AP course or an A in a regular or honors course. The admissions officer (who was from Vassar), kind of winced and replied, “It’s better to get an A in AP course.” At which point all the other AO’s on the panel laughed and agreed. At which point the conversation became - you don’t need to take every AP out there, you should take courses that interest you, but and it’s an important but, if you are competing for the top schools in the country, you are competing with kids who get A’s in the AP course.
My kids both took some non-honors courses - sometimes due to scheduling issues, sometimes due to lack of interest (they really hated English), and they did very well in admissions, but it’s risky. For a kid who is science oriented - you should probably be taking the more demanding program. You’ll be better prepared for college work, even if you aren’t one of the four students who gets the A.
I did some googling…it appears schools that do not rank tend to show grade distribution.
Our public neither discloses rank nor shows grade distribution.
What math level is he in? Does he do well in math?
The math abilities seemed to make the biggest difference for how well kids did with honors physics in my daughter’s class last year.