Junior

A junior is an 11th grader. Junior year is generally considered to be the most stressful year at Gunn, as most people take their hardest classes, extracurriculars, and standardized tests such as the SAT or ACT this year.

Course selection

English

Juniors can take a semester of American Literature or American Classics H in even years, and a semester of World Literature or World Classics H in odd years. They also choose an English elective from a wide variety of options such as Visual Story, Analytic Writing, and Comp. Lit + Film.

Social Studies

Juniors can choose to either take AP US History or a semester of US History and a social studies elective. Most juniors choose to take AP US History because they want to increase their course rigor or because they are genuinely interested in history; some juniors, however, choose to take US History as they want to avoid the high levels of work required to succeed in AP US History.

Math

Juniors who took Geometry or Geometry H the previous year have a choice between Algebra 2, Algebra 2/Trig A, and Algebra 2/Trig H. Students who took Algebra 2 + Trig A generally move on to IAC. Students who took Algebra 2 + Trig H tend to move on to Analysis H, although many juniors drop due to the difficulty of the course. Some juniors who skipped a year of math take AP Calculus BC in junior year.

Science

Juniors have a wide variety of science electives to choose from; many juniors choose to take difficult AP courses such as AP Physics 1, AP Biology, AP Chemistry, and AP Environmental Science to boost their weighted GPA, increase their course rigor, and get a chance at college credit. There are also enjoyable college-prep electives such as Marine Biology and Biotechnology that juniors can select, if they have a particular scientific interest.