Baltimore City College - Academics

Academics

Throughout most of the 20th century the college preparatory curriculum at City College was divided into two tracks: the "A" course and the "B" course. Though both tracks were intended to provide students with the skills necessary for college, the "A" course was intended to be more rigorous, enabling students to complete sufficient college-level courses to enter directly into the second year of college. In the early 1990s, Principal Joseph Antenson removed the two-tier system because he believed it to be racially discriminatory. In 1998, the academic program took on the general form in which it exists today, when Principal Joseph M. Wilson introduced the International Baccalaureate Diploma Program (IB Program) into the 11th and 12th grade curricula. The IB Program is a comprehensive, liberal arts program that must be completed in students' junior and senior years. Students now have the option to pursue a standard college preparatory curriculum, the IB Program, or a combination of the two.

In 2007, opposition to the continuation of the IB Program arose. Members of the Baltimore City College Alumni Association argued that the IB Program was diverting a significant amount of the school's resources, in order to benefit a fraction of the student population. Only approximately 30 students are in the full IB Diploma Program at City College. Some members also argued that the rigidity of the program did not give students enough flexibility. Citing these concerns, the alumni association encouraged the school to replace the IB Program with the "A course" and expand the number of Advanced Placement courses offered. The alumni association's recommendation, though non-binding, was intended to persuade the school to terminate the IB program and replace it with a more equitable and flexible curriculum. Nevertheless, the school administration is moving ahead with plans to expand the IB Program by incorporating the IB Middle Years Program into the 9th and 10th grade curricula.

In addition to the 23 IB courses, the school offers six Advanced Placement courses. Both programs have contributed to the academic ranking of the school. In the 1999–2000 academic year, City College was recognized by the U.S. Department of Education as a National Blue Ribbon School. In June 2005, the Johns Hopkins Magazine reported that the Johns Hopkins University had awarded full-time, four-year scholarships to ten seniors. In the May 2007 Newsweek report of the nation's top 1200 schools, City College was ranked 258th and in the 2006 report the school was ranked 206th. The expansion of the number of AP and IB courses offered allowed City to perform well in the Newsweek rankings, which are based heavily on the number of AP and IB courses offered.

In 2012, City College was ranked 1846th nationally and 52nd in Maryland (fifth overall in Baltimore City) as one of "America's Best High Schools" that receive a "Silver-Medal" status by the U.S. News and World Report. During the same year, the school was ranked 757th by Newsweek.