Statement on APs

As of the fall of 2024, Branson has eliminated all AP courses entirely. Academic departments have pivoted away from the AP (College Board's "Advanced Placement") curriculum for more rigorous study that draws on teachers' expertise and allows us to address and adapt to student interest.

To learn more, please read the following statement from Jeff Symonds, Branson's Assistant Head of School for Academics and Dean of Faculty:

Why no AP courses?

"One of the biggest shifts Branson has made deliberately over the past decade is moving beyond the AP curriculum.  Here’s why we did it:

“AP” is not a pedagogy, not a teaching style, not even a way of being or learning; it’s a list of topics. A content plug-and-play manual for teachers. As their website explains, “your course home page contains all the information you need—timely news about your course and exam, resources to use with your students, exam practice resources including past exam questions and sample student responses with scoring commentary, and more.”

You should think of “AP” not as a process or an approach or a commitment to rigor, but like a cookbook (or, even more specifically, like a book of recipes, as there’s no special “cooking” ethos connected to it). 

Some of the recipes in the cookbook are good, and fit a modern diet, but others are a little old-fashioned (think beloved Branson alumna Julia Child '20—some of those recipes don’t match a modern palate!). Ultimately, “AP” is a pre-set curriculum you can follow for help if you’re not super confident in your kitchen.  Not sure where to start, or what spices to buy?  It can offer you a roadmap to making some really good meals. That said, they’ll be the same meals everyone else is making.  The best metaphor for an AP curriculum is going to Applebee’s—you know what you’re going to get, you can get it in thousands of locations, and there will be reliable quality control.

Here’s the thing: at Branson, we’re not uncomfortable in the kitchen—in fact, we’re chefs. We don’t need the cookbook because we write our own recipes. Our advanced classes are “ours,” and they have their own flavor.  Coming to Branson is like eating at the best restaurant in town that’s been around for generations. There are some classic dishes, and some new specials every day. We simply got tired of having less-nourishing food delivered on the big truck, and now we make our own, fresh, in-house, every day.  

You can always go to Starbucks for your croissant, or you get it from the French bakery.  We think you’ll taste the difference,  AND you’ll be prepared for whatever challenge you want to tackle next."