I’m in 7th grade but I would like to know anyway if taking some ap classes in freshman year in high school is a good idea? I’m a person who likes having some free time so I want to know also if making a majority of my classes ap will make it so I literally have no free time for myself. I’m also worried if I take to many ap classes I’ll be up studying /doing hw all night! I also would appreciate getting some feedback from students who are taking some ap’s, on how they manage the work and the result of taking alot of ap’s in general. So yeah that’s all please reply.
This question is really moot until you know what HS you will be attending in 9th grade. Many HS’s limit the number of AP’s freshman and sophomores can take and many AP’s have prerequisites that must be met, so the decision may be out of your hands. Additionally, since we’re in the prep school forum and not talking local public school, your advisor will likely not let you overload in your first year.
I was hoping people knowledgable of what answering this question requires could still answer this but I agree that it depends on the school no doubt.I may have not thought this question througnly.But I would be refering to prep school more the less.
Many of the top boarding schools no longer have AP classes (Choate, Andover if I’m correct). Or at least they don’t call them AP anymore.
I think other users on this forum can validate that I am knowledgeable on the topic. 
Andover still offers AP classes in some disciplines. However, there are also classes, that while not being called AP, still prepare the students for the test (although often requiring the student to do some independent prep).
Anyway, back to the original question, and still using Andover as an example, an incoming 9th grader has no choice on English and history class. Whether that student can take an AP-level class in math, foreign language, and science, will depend entirely upon pre-HS preparation and placement test results. If the student is not sufficiently prepared, s/he will not be placed at that level. Period. End of story.
Additionally, no applicant or potential applicant has any idea of the how rigorous the non-AP courses are until such time as one actually sets foot into the classroom. So worrying about AP classes as a 7th grader is premature, and to my earlier point, moot. First things first - get admitted.
@CottenCandyTrill it may be helpful for you to look at a few sample course load guides and/or graduation requirement lists for top boarding schools. Generally, you won’t have a lot of course decisions to make until Junior or Senior year. Placement tests will dictate math & language level at the very least, with few options for the majority of humanities and science classes in 9th grade. AP or not, you will be working your way through a very rigorous curriculum which is designed to challenge you, and your academic advisor will certainly help guide you. Keep in mind that you won’t have a lot of free time in boarding school, no matter how many advanced classes you take. And, especially in the younger years, you can’t stay up all night to do homework - lights out (at 10:30/11PM usually) is taken very seriously!
Although I admire your future-directed thinking, I believe that this is premature. I would think about getting admitted before thinking about classes. Heck, I haven’t even thought for a second about next year’s courses and I’m going next year :)) ! And just as @skieurope said, it really depends on the school. At my LPS I was scheduled to take almost entirely Pre-IB and Honors classes. At bs, this would be nearly impossible. The kids are academically skilled, so the regular classes are already elevated.
Here’s another tip: I think that it’s pretty obvious that if you want a lot of free time, taking a lot of AP’s is out of the question. Not that they will consume all of your time, but they are “advanced placement” after all. I would choose AP for only the courses that you are naturally skilled in, or that you love and are willing to work hard in. For example, STEM is my thing, so I’m not taking AP English or History…
At daughter’s school, all freshmen are required to take 9th grade English and World History. They need to take a none-AP math unless they completed Prealgebra, and most of them need to take a none-AP foreign language. So that’s four none-AP classes that most, if not all of freshmen are taking. So you see, it is hard to take a lot of AP classes as a freshmen, even if you could manage it.
Daughter is taking two AP courses as a freshman. The difficulty level is doable, but the problem is amount of work and limited time and energy to do them. Also she is adjusting to her first high school AND boarding school experience. Demands from all of her classes are very high too. She would be taking less AP courses if she were to do it again. Consequently, she will take less AP courses in her sophomore year than she had previously planned. Academics is only a part of boarding school experience.
Don’t assume AP courses are more advanced than other classes. AP classes are often criticized for providing a broad but very shallow overview when diving deeper would lead to greater understanding and learning (and might actually be more challenging).
Depends on where you’re taking the AP classes.
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