High School Mathematics
Courses and Content
Seattle’s high school students prepare for college, careers, and life by completing at least three core mathematics courses, with four years of mathematics being highly recommended. To meet state graduation requirements, the three courses need to be at the Algebra 1 level and higher. Most students will meet the requirements by taking Algebra 1, Geometry, and a third year of math that aligns to a students high school and beyond plan. The third year course options can be found in the SPS Math Pathways documents located in the Resources section below. Options will include all courses beyond Geometry. Learn more about the high school registration process.
Precalculus, AP Statistics, AP Calculus, Bridge to College Math, and IB Mathematics provide additional preparation for college and careers and prepare students for the transition from high school to college-level mathematics. Algebra 1 through Precalculus are aligned to the Washington State standards (Common Core State Standards) that were adopted in 2012. These courses are designed to address standards, or parts of standards, in a progression that builds conceptual understanding and connections between content.
- Algebra 1 Year at a Glance
- Geometry Year at a Glance
- Algebra 2 Year at a Glance
- Precalculus Year at a Glance
High School Mathematics Instructional Materials
In 2024, Seattle Public Schools adopted materials published by Imagine Learning called Illustrative Mathematics for Algebra 1, Geometry, and Algebra 2. The Illustrative Mathematics materials is available digitally through the IL Classroom platform. Students access this platform through Clever. Families can learn more about Illustrative Mathematics materials by visiting the Illustrative Mathematics Family Support Hub and choosing one of the courses.
SPS adopted instructional materials published by Kendall Hunt for Precalculus and Calculus, and by Pearson Learning for AP Statistics. Schools have hard copies of the textbooks that can be assigned to students each year.
State Mathematics Requirements for Graduation
Starting with the class of 2013, Washington State requires that students earn AT LEAST THREE credits of math (courses need to be at the Algebra 1 level or higher). There are multiple pathways for students to fulfill math credits requirement for graduation which align to their high school and beyond plan. For a list of state minimum credits to graduate, please refer to the Graduation Toolkit for the student’s graduating class.
Smarter Balanced Math Assessment (SBA) aligns to standards addressed in Algebra 1 and Geometry and will be administered to students starting in the spring of 10th grade. Meeting graduation standards on the SBA Math AND English Language Arts assessments is one pathway for students to fulfill graduation requirements. Students have an opportunity to retest in the spring of their 11th and 12th grade years.
Learn more about SPS graduation requirements and pathways by visiting resources provided by the SPS Counseling Team or OSPI’s Graduation Pathways Guide.
Online Math Resources
- Online graphing calculator
- College Placement Information
Resources
Washington State Learning Standards for Mathematics (Common Core)
SPS Math Course Sequence