High School Physics Courses & Enrollments

High School Physics Courses & Enrollments

Results from the 2008-09 Nationwide Survey of High School Physics Teachers

Susan White & Casey Langer Tesfaye

High School Physics Courses & EnrollmentsThis report examines student enrollments in high school physics during the 2008-09 academic year. We estimate that 1.35 million students took physics in U.S. high schools that year. The growth in enrollment comes from more students taking conceptual physics, Physics First, honors physics, AP physics, and second-year physics courses. We also see an increase in the physics-taking rate from 20% in 1987 to 37% for the 2008-09 year. The latest data in this report is from our 2008-09 Nationwide Survey of High School Physics Teachers.

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