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<p>A student taking AP calculus in 9th grade is four grade levels ahead of the normal math progression in the US, and is likely an extreme outlier even in an elite high school (or even among those who will eventually end up at a super-selective university). Try not to base your opinion of the school on a few extreme outliers, but rather on the usual crowd of students that your kid will mingle with.</p>
<p>If you mean other AP courses, remember that AP courses commonly taken in 9th or 10th grade are usually what are regarded as “AP lite” type of courses like human geography or environmental science, which are rarely accepted for subject credit or placement in college, or (if they are) accepted in place of semester-long courses that are considered easy courses in college (that may exist only because they are not commonly taken in high school as part of a typical college-prep curriculum). So it is not like that many students, other than a few extreme outliers, are doing truly college level work at college pace in 9th or 10th grade.</p>