Science
Science Department
Over four years, students may select from a wide variety of full year and semester science courses. Decisions on which courses you will take will depend on several factors: individual interest, future education plans, and academic background. You should plan the sequence of your courses with care.
Course Selection Guidance
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Personalized Pathways: Choose full-year and semester courses aligned with your personal interests, college goals, and academic background.
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Math Readiness: Science courses heavily integrate mathematics—factor your math background and comfort level into your course selections.
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Academic Planning: Review course descriptions and consult your science teacher or school counselor to map out the best course sequence. The chart below indicates the kinds of choices available at each grade level.
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Course Availability: Final course offerings for each school year depend on student enrollment.
Advanced & AP Course Sequences
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Prerequisites: Introductory Biology and Chemistry must be completed prior to enrolling in UConn ECE/AP Biology or AP Chemistry.
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Strategic Scheduling: Taking UConn ECE/AP Biology, AP Chemistry, or AP Environmental Science in 11th grade allows students to take AP Physics and AP Calculus concurrently in 12th grade.
Summer Course Advancement Policy
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Foundational Credit: Abbreviated summer programs cannot replace a full-year foundational science course at Wilton High School.
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Advancement Requirement: Students taking an approved summer course must earn a 75% or higher on the official WHS final exam to advance to the next course level.
Graduation Requirements
- One year of a physical science and one year of a biological science is the state requirement for graduation
GENERAL GUIDANCE FOR SCIENCE COURSES
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**UConn ECE/AP Biology, AP Chemistry, and AP Environmental Science should be selected by juniors only if Biology 3 and Chemistry 3 grades are B+ or better. In addition, these courses should only be considered by juniors with strong math skills. The decision to take AP Chemistry or UConn ECE/AP Biology as a junior requires a consultation with one of the AP teachers of the course.
The Science Department course offerings based on discipline are classified accordingly:
| Physical Sciences | Biological Sciences |
| Physical Science, Physical Science-2 | Biology-2/3 |
| Chemistry, Chemistry-2/3 | Animal Behavior |
| Physics-2 | Environmental Science |
| UConn ECE Physics-3 | UConn ECE/AP Biology |
| Geoscience | AP Environmental Science |
| Environmental Science | Human Biology-2/3 |
| AP Chemistry | Genetics-2/3 |
| AP Physics | Marine Biology-2/3 |
| AP Environmental Science | Bioethics |
| Forensic Science | Forensic Science |
| Physics II-2/3 |
When recommending a student for a science course, science teachers take into consideration student achievement on tests and quizzes, work ethic, student approach to the course, maturity of the student (especially in regard to laboratory safety), and other relevant factors.
Please check the Program of Studies for details on each course.