Belmont High School Math Curriculum

Belmont High School Math Curriculum

This guide to the math curriculum at Belmont Public Schools is not an official BPS document and is not intended to be exhaustive.  Since the math pathways at BPS can often be confusing for those new to the district or for those navigating a progression for the first time, we provide this guide solely as a rough guide of what to expect from math class choices at BPS.

Note that there are several curricular options that have recently been eliminated at BPS.

Belmont High School

For those who are new to Belmont High School, the options and levels can be challenging to understand.  This chart from the BHS 2023-2024 Program of Studies (page 23) helps to clarify the pathways.  Note that this chart has not been updated to reflect the recent changes (Challenger program and new process for placing out of a class) so some pathways are missing and the percentages in Grade 9 are incorrect.BHS Math Program of Studies

7th and 8th Grade Pathways in Relation to High School

This spring 2023 video outlines different pathways available to 7th and 8th graders, along with a rough overview of how they feed into high school options.

Key Points for Belmont High School

  • CP is “College Prep” and H is “Honors.”  College Prep courses are slower than Honors classes.
  • While Geometry is split into CP and H, Algebra 2 and PreCalculus are split into CP, H2, and H1.
    • H1 is the most challenging and fast-paced level, then H2, then CP.
    • In past years, almost all 9th grade students who had accelerated in math at Chenery took Algebra 2 H1
    • As of 2020-2021, the breakdown for Algebra 2 was:
      • Algebra 2 CP: ~23%
      • Algebra 2 H2: ~37%
      • Algebra 2 H1: ~40%
    • According to the chart in the Program of Studies, only Algebra 2 H1 will lead to AP Calculus (either AB or BC), so that is something to keep in mind during course selection if taking AP Calc is important to your student.
    • Students who were placed in Math 7 in 7th grade have no way to take Calculus at BHS without taking 2 math courses in one year.
  • Calculus AB covers the first semester of a standard college calculus curriculum.
  • Calculus BC covers the first two semesters of a standard college calculus curriculum.
  • Belmont High School has a 4-year math requirement.  Taking Challenger Geometry in 8th grade does not count as a year towards this requirement.  If a student takes Calculus in 11th grade, they still need to take another math class in 12th grade.  The Program of Studies lists classes that count toward the math requirement.  The Math portion of the Program of Studies starts on page 19.

Official BPS Math Curriculum Pages

2023-2024 School Year Opportunity

BHS is offering students the opportunity to advance a year in math for the 2023-2024 school year if that student has taken an equivalent course at another institution. This opportunity is for students entering Grades 9-12 in September 2023. In order to be considered for this program, students and families must do the following:  By March 17 at 3:00 PM, complete THIS FORM to state your intention and identify the course and institution at which the math course will be completed. Note that this opportunity is only offered on a trial basis and is not part of the official BPS curriculum. The opportunity may be removed in the future.