Your school can teach that.
Get the class addedPicking up where you left off.
We’ll look up the people who decide what your school teaches.
School not in the list (middle school, private, outside the US)?
Don’t know yet? Put your best guess in and change it later.
Go read the course catalog first
Your school publishes one, usually as a PDF on the counseling page. Open it and write down:
- Every AP, honors, or advanced class listed. How many are there?
- Which ones actually ran this year? The catalog lists courses that haven't been taught in years.
- What's the highest class in the subject you care about, and what comes after it? (Often: nothing.)
- Does the catalog mention dual enrollment, concurrent enrollment, or early college?
- Now open the catalog for the biggest high school in your district and compare.
You want a sentence like “the other high school in our district offers fifteen APs and we offer six.” That sentence starts a conversation. “We should have more classes” doesn’t. Come back and pick whichever of the four above matches what you found.
These two look like the same request from outside the building. Inside it, they are nothing alike.
Worth knowing What a new class actually costs
Adults will tell you a new class is expensive. Sometimes that’s true. Often the expensive part is one thing, and you can ask for the version without it.
- AP course audit FreeA teacher submits a syllabus and an administrator approves it. There is no fee.
- Teacher training OptionalThe AP Summer Institute costs several hundred dollars but is not required for most AP courses, only for AP Capstone. Don’t let it be quoted at you as mandatory.
- Textbooks VariesNot required to be new. Most humanities courses can run on books the school already owns for year one.
- Lab equipment Real moneyLab sciences genuinely cost thousands. This is the one that makes AP Biology, Chemistry and Physics hard to add.
- Exam fees Per studentAround $99, reduced for students who qualify for free or reduced lunch, and often subsidized. Taking the class never requires taking the exam.
- A class period The real costNot on anyone’s price list, and it’s what your principal is actually deciding.
So the cheapest possible AP ask is a class with no lab, taught by a teacher already on staff, using books the school has. If that describes what you want, say so in the first email.
Worth knowing Why timing decides this more than arguments do
Getting a course approved and getting it to run are two separate wins, about six months apart. Students win the first and lose the second all the time, because a course nobody requested gets cut in the spring no matter how well it was approved.
If you are reading this in spring, you are not too late — you’re early for the year after. Start now and you get the December deadline instead of missing it.
This is the entire campaign. Schools don’t add classes because a class sounds good; they add classes when enough students would fill the seats. Your survey is the proof, and it’s the number every email below quotes.
Group chats, your story, the people you sit with at lunch. Hit the grades below you hardest. A class added next year is one they can take, and administrators know it.
Paste your form link where the message says to. 30 responses is enough to argue with. If you can get a number like “41 students would take this,” you have more than most course proposals ever show.
These are in order for a reason. Do them in order.
Start with a teacher. Nothing happens without one.
A student cannot propose a new course. A teacher can. This is the single most common reason these campaigns die, and it is the easiest one to fix — but it has to be first, because every person below will ask "who would teach it?" and you need an answer.
Pick the teacher in that subject you get along with best. Ask them in person if you can; send this if you can't.
Email template — Would you be willing to teach [the class you want]?
Dear [teacher's name], I'm a [grade] at [school name]. Some of us have been looking at what classes we offer compared to other schools near us, and [the class you want] keeps coming up as the one people want most. I surveyed [#] students at [school name] about our classes. [X]% said they would show up to school more often if they had classes they were excited about, [Y]% agreed that classes here are boring, and [Z] said they want more AP or dual enrollment classes in [subject]. I wanted to ask you directly: would you be willing to teach it if the school made a section for it, and do you already have the credential to? I also read that the AP Summer Institute isn't required except for Capstone courses, so training shouldn't be a blocker. I know a student can't propose a course and a teacher has to, so I'm trying to find out whether this is possible at all before I take it further. Could we talk for ten minutes? With hope and gratitude, A student at [school name]
Ask counseling what number the course needs to run
Counselors own the course catalog and the course-request process, which means they know the one number that decides everything: how many students have to request a course before the school will actually schedule it. Nobody publishes it. They will usually just tell you.
Once you know it, your survey stops being a petition and becomes a target.
Email template — Question about getting a course added to the catalog
Dear [counselor's name], I'm a [grade] here. A few of us are trying to get [the class you want] added at [school name]. I surveyed [#] students at [school name] about our classes. [X]% said they would show up to school more often if they had classes they were excited about, [Y]% agreed that classes here are boring, and [Z] said they want more AP or dual enrollment classes in [subject]. Three questions: 1. How many student requests does a new course usually need before it actually runs? 2. When does course selection open for next year, and when is the catalog finalized? 3. Who would I need to talk to to propose it — and is there a teacher here who could already teach it? I want to make sure we're working on the right timeline instead of asking in April when it's already too late. With hope and gratitude, A student at [school name]
Put the ask on the principal's desk, with the numbers
Principals say no to complaints and yes to plans. What they are actually deciding is whether to spend one of a fixed number of class periods on this, so the two things that matter are how many students would fill it and what it costs.
The next question is always "what would we drop?" Having an answer — even an imperfect one — is what separates a serious ask from a wish.
Email template — Adding [the class you want] at [school name]
Dear [Principal's name], I'm a [grade] at [school name]. I'd like to ask about adding [the class you want]. I surveyed [#] students at [school name] about our classes. [X]% said they would show up to school more often if they had classes they were excited about, [Y]% agreed that classes here are boring, and [Z] said they want more AP or dual enrollment classes in [subject]. [If eighth graders answered: [N] of them said they're considering leaving the district for ninth grade, and that interesting classes would make them more likely to stay.] I know a new class usually means a new section, so I want to be upfront about cost. [If this is true, say it: this course needs no lab equipment, a teacher already on staff is willing to teach it, and it can use books the school already has.] The College Board course audit itself is free, and the AP Summer Institute is not required except for Capstone courses. [If a teacher has already said yes, name them here. It changes this from a student request into a staffing question.] I know the next question is what we'd drop to make room. I'd rather talk that through with you than pretend it isn't a real problem. Could I get ten minutes? With hope and gratitude, A student at [school name]
Ask a school that already offers it how they got it
Somewhere in or near your district is a school that already runs this course. The people there cleared the exact proposal you're about to write, and a peer school's approved proposal is the best template you will ever get. It's also usually a public record.
Send this to the department chair or the counseling office at that school.
Email template — How did [the class you want] get approved at your school?
Dear [name], I'm a student at [school name]. Your school offers [the class you want] and ours doesn't. We're trying to change that. I surveyed [#] students at [school name] about our classes. [X]% said they would show up to school more often if they had classes they were excited about, [Y]% agreed that classes here are boring, and [Z] said they want more AP or dual enrollment classes in [subject]. I'd like to ask how yours got approved: 1. What went into the course proposal? 2. How did you show there was enough student demand? 3. Did anyone push back, and on what? 4. Was it rejected the first time? If there's a copy of the proposal you could share, that would help enormously. Would you have fifteen minutes to talk? With hope and gratitude, A student at [school name]
Get the district's rules before you write the proposal
Every district has a new-course submission timeline and a rubric the curriculum board scores proposals against. Both are internal documents, both are usually handed over if a student asks, and almost nobody asks.
Writing a proposal to a rubric you've read is very different from guessing at one. Send this early — the deadline is often December.
Email template — Request: new course submission timeline and scoring guide
Dear [Curriculum Director], I'm a student at [school name]. We're working on a proposal to add [the class you want] at our school. Could you send me two things? 1. The current new course submission timeline, including this year's deadline 2. The scoring guide or rubric the curriculum board uses to review new course proposals It would be much easier to write a proposal that meets the standard if we can see the standard first. I surveyed [#] students at [school name] about our classes. [X]% said they would show up to school more often if they had classes they were excited about, [Y]% agreed that classes here are boring, and [Z] said they want more AP or dual enrollment classes in [subject]. With hope and gratitude, A student at [school name]
Ask the college to send an instructor
This is the ask almost no student makes, and it's the one most likely to work. A dual enrollment course is taught by a college instructor, paid by the college, on your campus, during your school day. Your school provides a room. Students usually pay nothing.
Because the instructor has to be college faculty, the college is the real bottleneck — so ask them before you ask your school. Walking into your principal's office with "the college says they can staff this" is a completely different conversation than "could we have this?"
Email template — Could anyone teach a section at [school name]?
Dear [Dual Enrollment Coordinator], I'm a student at [school name], writing to ask about dual enrollment. We don't offer [the class you want], and there's nothing after [the highest class we have in that subject], so students who finish it early have nowhere to go. I surveyed [#] students at [school name] about our classes. [X]% said they would show up to school more often if they had classes they were excited about, [Y]% agreed that classes here are boring, and [Z] said they want more AP or dual enrollment classes in [subject]. My question is simple: would anyone in your [department] be willing to teach a section at our school during the school day? I understand the instructor has to be college faculty, which is why I'm asking you before I ask my own school. If there's already an agreement between your college and our district, I'd also love to know which courses are on the approved list — we may be asking for something that's already been approved and just isn't being run. With hope and gratitude, A student at [school name]
Find out what your district has already approved
Districts routinely sign agreements approving dozens of college courses and then run four of them. If [the class you want] is already on that list, your ask changes from "approve this" to "schedule this" — a much smaller word, with no board vote behind it.
This is the highest-value email on the page and it takes two minutes to send.
Email template — Is [the class you want] on our approved dual enrollment list?
Dear [Dual Enrollment Coordinator], I'm a student at [school name]. I'm trying to find out whether we could offer [the class you want] as a dual enrollment course. Three questions: 1. Does our district have a current dual or concurrent enrollment agreement, and with which college? 2. Is [the class you want] already on the approved course list under that agreement? 3. If it is, what would our school need to do to actually offer it, and what's the deadline for [next term]? I surveyed [#] students at [school name] about our classes. [X]% said they would show up to school more often if they had classes they were excited about, [Y]% agreed that classes here are boring, and [Z] said they want more AP or dual enrollment classes in [subject]. I've also asked the college directly whether they could staff a section, so if this is already approved on your side we may be closer than it looks. With hope and gratitude, A student at [school name]
Find the teacher who wants to build it
Schools approve electives because a specific person wants to teach a specific thing. The subject matters less than the teacher, which is good news: you are not arguing that the topic is important, you are finding one adult who is excited.
Ask the teacher who runs a club, coaches, or talks about something outside their subject. If they say no, ask who they think would say yes. They almost always know.
Email template — Would you ever want to teach [the class you want]?
Dear [teacher's name], I'm a [grade] at [school name]. This is going to be an odd email. A few of us want to take [the class you want] and our school doesn't offer it. Nobody does, so there's no class to copy and no teacher already assigned. I'm asking you because [why them: you run the club / you brought this up once / you seem like you'd find this interesting]. I surveyed [#] students at [school name] about our classes. [X]% said they would show up to school more often if they had classes they were excited about, [Y]% agreed that classes here are boring, and [Z] said they want more AP or dual enrollment classes in [subject]. The question is just: would you ever want to teach it? Not whether it's allowed or whether admin would go for it. A student can't propose a course and a teacher can, so if you'd be into it I'll do all the rest of the work. And if it's not for you, is there someone here you think would say yes? With hope and gratitude, A student at [school name]
Ask for one specific thing
This is the smallest ask on the page and the most likely to work, because a teacher can say yes to it alone, today, without asking anybody. No survey required, no committee, no principal.
Two rules. Name one thing, not a list. And offer to do the work: a teacher who has to find the speaker and build the lesson is being given homework, not an idea.
Email template — An idea for [the class you want], if you're open to it
Dear [teacher's name], I'm in your [the class you want] class. I had an idea and wanted to run it by you. Would you ever consider [the one specific thing: a guest speaker, a project, a day on one topic, a different kind of assessment]? [One sentence on why: it connects to [unit], a few of us are going into this field, we never get to do anything hands-on in this subject.] I'm happy to do the work on it. I can [find and email the speaker, put the materials together, organise the other students] so it's not extra on your plate. Totally fine if it doesn't fit the schedule. Thanks for considering it. With hope and gratitude, A student at [school name]
Talk to the teacher first, and bring specifics
This one goes badly if it reads as a complaint about a person, and going over their head first is the single move that reliably fails. Go to them directly.
Ask for one specific change, not a list. And bring what students said, not what you think: “34 of us said the pace loses people after the first unit” is feedback. “This class is bad” is an insult, and it ends the conversation you needed to have.
Email template — Some student feedback on [the class you want], if you want it
Dear [teacher's name], I'm in your [the class you want] class. Some of us put together a short anonymous survey about how the class is going, and I wanted to bring you the results directly rather than have it go anywhere else first. [#] students answered. The clearest thing that came back was [the one specific change most people asked for]. I'm not asking for the class to change completely. I'm wondering whether [the one specific change] would be possible, or whether there's a reason it works the way it does that we're not seeing. Happy to share the full results. Thanks for reading this. With hope and gratitude, A student at [school name]
Email template — Following up on [the class you want] at [school name]
Dear [counselor's name], I'm a [grade] here. A group of us surveyed students about [the class you want]. [#] answered, and [X] said [the specific problem]. I already brought this to [teacher] directly on [date], because it felt right to go to them first. [What happened.] I'm not trying to get anyone in trouble. I'm asking whether there's a way to [the specific change you want]: a different section, a different sequence, or something I haven't thought of. Could we talk? With hope and gratitude, A student at [school name]
Optional, later Nobody replied. What now?
Normal. Teachers and administrators get hundreds of emails and yours is not on fire. Three things that work, in order:
- Wait a week, then reply to your own email. Not a new one — reply, so the whole thread is right there. Two sentences: “Following up on this. Happy to come by if that’s easier.”
- Go in person. Email is for the record. Decisions get made in a doorway. Ask the counseling office when the person is usually free.
- Add a teacher to the thread. An adult who says “I’d teach this” changes a student request into a staffing question, and staffing questions get answered.
If three emails and one in-person ask have all gone nowhere, that’s your signal to go to the school board. That’s the next step.
You emailed, and weeks went by. The board is where this stops being a thing your principal can sit on: public comment goes in the minutes, and the minutes are public forever. What you need is your survey numbers, the dates you emailed people, and two minutes at the microphone.
It opens as a printable page with your survey numbers, the course you’re asking for, what it costs, who you’ve already contacted and when. Save it as a PDF: that’s the handout for board members and the attachment on the follow-up email.
Two minutes at the microphone
Public comment is usually two or three minutes and you do not have to be on the agenda. Read it out loud once before you go — it is always longer than it looks. Email it to the board the same day so it lands in writing too.
Email template — Public comment — adding [the class you want] at [school name]
Dear [Board Members], I spoke at the [date] board meeting about adding [the class you want] at [school name]. I'm sending the same thing in writing so it's on the record, along with my survey results. My name is [your name] and I'm a [grade] at [school name]. Our school does not offer [the class you want]. [Name a school in this district that does, if there is one.] I surveyed [#] students at [school name] about our classes. [X]% said they would show up to school more often if they had classes they were excited about, [Y]% agreed that classes here are boring, and [Z] said they want more AP or dual enrollment classes in [subject]. [If eighth graders answered: [N] of them said they're considering leaving the district for ninth grade, and that interesting classes would make them more likely to stay.] I emailed [name] on [date] and [name] on [date]. [What happened, or that nothing did.] I'm asking the board for one thing: [put the course in next year's catalog / direct staff to report back on what it would take / approve it as a dual enrollment course]. Thank you for your time. With hope and gratitude, A student at [school name]
Still nothing? Reach out to us: we can help with funding, navigating school politics, and changing school culture.
Email template — Student at [school name] — trying to get a class added
Hi Ben, I'm a student at [school name]. I'm trying to get [the class you want] added at my school. I need help with [what you need: finding a teacher / talking to admin / getting other students on board / something else]. I'm stuck on [what's blocking you right now]. So far I've [what you've already tried, if anything]. Thanks, [your name]
our school doesn't offer [class] and i'm trying to change that
this is a 1 minute anonymous survey about what classes we want. i'm taking the results to admin. [paste your form link]
fill it out even if you're graduating, and freshmen/sophomores count double because they're the ones who'd still be here.
if you know any 8th graders, send it to them too. there's a question just for them, too
Want more help?
We can work with you directly to make these changes.
Email template — Student at [school name] — trying to get a class added
Hi Ben, I'm a student at [school name]. I'm trying to get [the class you want] added at my school. I need help with [what you need: finding a teacher / talking to admin / getting other students on board / something else]. I'm stuck on [what's blocking you right now]. So far I've [what you've already tried, if anything]. Thanks, [your name]