On March 26, 2025, the DHS 2025-2026 Program of Studies was released to the DHS community. At the same time, course selections and teacher recommendations were made available. This release was several weeks later than last year’s release, making it difficult for many students to appropriately plan out the academic year that awaits them. However, students can finally begin to digest the new Program of Studies and begin to construct an appropriate schedule for the 2025-2026 school year.
As has been the case for many years, there are notable changes in the new Program of Studies for the upcoming year that will impact students in each graduating class. So, what do those changes look like?
Class of 2029 Graduation Requirements
To accommodate the ever-changing academic world that surrounds us, graduation requirements are often adjusted for each incoming freshman class. This in order to make them as academically prepared as possible in a wide array of subjects upon graduation. This year is no exception.
The most notable change for the graduation requirements for the freshman class is the reintroduction of the computer science credit. Students in the Class of 2029 will need to fulfill one credit in the Computer Science Department before graduation, compared to the larger Business, Innovation, and Technology (BIT) requirement for the Classes of 2027 and 2028. The singling out of computer science specifically as a requirement also means that BIT has been de-emphasized, with the incoming freshmen only needing to earn 0.5 credits in the field.
The changes to the graduation requirements for incoming freshmen mean that for the 2025-2026 school year, each individual graduating class will have their own unique graduation requirements, making it potentially difficult for teachers and guidance counselors to keep track of the credits each student must earn in order to graduate.
Changes in the Science Department
Out of the major DHS departments, requirements for the Science Department have changed the most.
A random sample of incoming freshmen will be selected to enroll in a new Pre-AP Biology class. This new course will allow the selected students to fulfill the typical freshman year biology requirement at a higher level than Honors biology, with an emphasis on preparedness for future AP science courses taken in grades 11 and 12. Students will receive Honors credit for completing this course.
AP Physics C: Mechanics will no longer be offered for the 2025-2026 school year, due to DHS students not having the appropriate background in math to be successful at the course, as AP Physics C is a calculus-based class. AP Physics 1 will still be offered to juniors and seniors.
Finally, a select group of students will be able to take engineering courses to fulfill a science credit. Prior to the upcoming year, engineering courses were only counted as general electives. However, certain students will soon be allowed to take engineering in order to fulfill one science credit as a part of the Massachusetts Competency Determination. Students who do this must take both Engineering 1 and 2. Additionally, to make the engineering courses more uniform with the rest of the Science Department, Honors versions of Engineering 1 and 2 have been introduced.
No More Civics Class Requirement
Last year, a half-year civics course was intended to be added as a graduation requirement for the Class of 2028 and beyond, in addition to the general three-credit social studies requirement. The goal of this course was to increase civics and political knowledge among DHS students. However, that requirement was abandoned and never implemented, with the half-credit civics requirement being relegated to the “additional electives” requirement instead. This trend is continuing for the Class of 2029, as incoming freshmen will only need three social studies requirements and no civics courses in order to graduate.
Although a civics class is not required for graduation, students enrolled in United States History 2 (CCR or Honors) and AP United States History will still need to complete a civics action project as a part of the core curriculum for those classes.
New English Electives
The English Department has diversified its course catalog with five new elective classes for the upcoming school year.
Students in grades 9-10 can enroll in Sports Reading and Writing CCR. Meanwhile, students in grades 11-12 can enroll in Feminist Literature CCR and Dystopia CCR, and students in all grades can enroll in Contemporary American Poetry CCR and Shakespeare and the Art of Being Human CCR.
These new English electives allow students to broaden their knowledge of the English language and literature through multiple unique lenses and delve into specific topics in a more in-depth manner than a typical English class would be able to cover.
Listed above are the most notable changes to the Program of Studies for the 2025-2026 school year. With the new Program of Studies available, all DHS students can begin to carefully map out their academic pathways for the upcoming school year and build the most appropriate schedule for themselves.
