In recent years, Mamaroneck High School (MHS) has expanded its AP course offerings—even for sophomores. Within the last year at MHS, AP Psychology was added to the curriculum. It gives sophomores, juniors, and seniors the opportunity to take a course exploring the human mind. In the 2026–2027 school year, another AP course will be available to sophomores: AP World. AP classes are known for heavy rigor and heavy workload. So, are sophomores ready for this challenging class exploring world history at a college level?  

Current OCRA and former AP Government teacher Mr. Liberti believes that AP World is “too content-heavy,” and that sophomores may struggle due to their lack of deeper historical context, as many have completed only one year of high school social studies.

Students at MHS had a lot to say about AP World being introduced to sophomores next year. Toscane Decker (’27) argues that AP World will be a beneficial course to implement within the high school curriculum, as public high schools all across America have had this course for many years. From an objective point of view, giving sophomores the option to challenge themselves and push their learning to the next level is usually a positive quality, making AP World a sensible fit within MHS. Marrisa Lord (’28) brings up an important point: adding the AP World course for sophomores will help to prepare them for APUSH or any other APs they plan to take during junior year. For many students, the jump from sophomore year to junior year can be quite challenging, as this is when most begin to take advanced courses. So, adding another AP course for sophomores will help them get a taste of what junior year will feel like.

Despite its difficulty, one thing has become clear: AP World is here to stay. This course provides sophomores with the opportunity to challenge themselves, prepare for the next years of high school, and pursue an interest of theirs—reasons why many students at MHS are in favor of AP World being implemented within the curriculum.