Our core areas have been designed to challenge students of all academic abilities. Critical reading and writing are strongly emphasized in all 4 major core areas. Each core area offers varying levels. Below is a brief description of each academic level.

The College Preparatory (CP)  program is designed to prepare students for a four-year post-secondary college or university. This traditional level will provide the students with a rigorous course of study in all content areas. Students enrolled in CP classes may be required to complete summer assignments. Many colleges and universities expect students to earn at least 18 credits or more in college preparatory classes or higher.

The purpose of the Honors program is to challenge highly motivated students. Honors classes cover more material than college preparatory classes and they examine materials more extensively. Students enrolled in honors-level courses will be required to complete assigned work during the summer preceding the start of the class.  All honors-level classes carry a weighting of 1.05. Students who wish to be accepted into the Honors program at Cape Henlopen High School must have a final grade of 90%  or better, or they must have a final average of 85% and perform well on standardized testing. In order to remain in the program, students must maintain a “B” average. The design of these types of classes helps prepare students for advanced placement courses.

The Academic Challenge (AC) Program provides an atmosphere that nurtures the scholastic and creative abilities of highly motivated and academically talented students in the disciplines of Mathematics and English.

Students begin the program as eighth-graders and complete the program as seniors. The five-year program offers them the standard high school curriculum in Mathematics and English at an accelerated pace,  allowing for college course work during the junior and senior years. In addition to satisfying high school credit requirements, students may earn 12 college English credits and/or 15 Mathematics credits. The college courses are provided at the Owens Campus through Delaware Technical Community College. AC  students are responsible for completing assignments and meeting deadlines in Cape classes that they may miss attending AC classes. AC classes carry a grade point weighting of 1.1.

Advanced Placement (AP) classes are college-level courses that are taught by high school teachers. AP provides students an opportunity for learning that goes beyond just facts and figures. The rich course material, classroom discussions, and demanding assignments typical of AP courses will help students develop the content mastery and critical thinking skills expected of college students. By participating in AP,  students have the opportunity to earn college credit. AP  classes are the most rigorous courses offered at Cape Henlopen High School. All AP classes carry a grade point weighting of 1.1. Students who wish to be accepted into AP classes must be enrolled in the Honors program.  Students must maintain a “B” average in order to remain in AP classes. Students must complete all summer work.

This program is designed to provide an opportunity for highly motivated students who desire to take courses through Delaware Technical Community College, University of Delaware, Wilmington University, or another accredited university during their senior year.  This program enables an advanced student to take college-level courses while completing his/her high school courses for graduation. Grades and credit hours earned will become part of the student’s official college record. The individual will have to bear all costs of tuition, books, materials, fees, and transportation.