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  • Message From Head of Senior School

    Dear Senior School Families,

    We are pleased to publish the Program of Studies site for the 2026–2027 school year, now available in an online format. This section of our website outlines our course offerings, graduation requirements, and the pathways available to students as they prepare for postsecondary study and life beyond West Point Grey Academy. In a world that continues to change in complex and sometimes unpredictable ways, thoughtful course selection is more important than ever. It remains a shared responsibility, and we encourage students to work closely with our university counsellors to ensure their choices meet graduation requirements while building the skills, flexibility, and confidence needed for future success.

    We invite students and parents to review the site together, using it as a starting point for meaningful conversations about interests, strengths, and aspirations. During the spring course selection process, students will indicate their preferences for the coming year. Please note that some elective offerings are dependent on demand, may have limited enrolment, or require an application.
    Questions related to course selection may be directed to Mr. Ralph Huygens, Assistant Head of Senior School, who is happy to provide guidance and support.

    This September, we look forward to welcoming the Class of 2031 into the Senior School community. As our school continues to evolve and grow in response to the changing world our students will inherit, we remain deeply committed to providing a balanced, rigorous, and supportive learning environment that reflects WPGA’s core values and prepares students to navigate uncertainty with purpose and resilience.

    Please feel free to reach out to me or any member of the Senior School Leadership Team should you have questions or require support as you plan for the year ahead.

    Warm regards,

    Jason Parker
    Head of Senior School

  • Changes for 2025-2026

    Student schedules for 2026-2027 will be posted on Wolfnet on August 22, 2026.

    Course Change Limitations
    • Grade 8/9 add/drops: Students in grades 8 and 9 have until the end of the second week of classes to request course changes.  The deadline is September 18, 2026.
    • Grade 10-12 add/drops: Students in grades 10-12 have until the end of the fourth week of classes to request course changes, which is October 2, 2026.  
    Theatre / Drama
      • New course: Stagecraft has been integrated into Drama 8 and is offered at the grade 9 level as well.
      • New course: Film and Television 10 has been added.
    Science Acceleration
      • Pathway from Science 8 through to AP science courses begins a 5-year transition that will allow students, starting with the class of 2031 to reach AP levels without acceleration.  The former accelerated program will be grandfathered out.
    Alternate Year Offerings
    • The following courses ARE offered in 2026-2027:
      • AP World History
      • Drafting 11
      • Health Sciences

    • The following courses are not offered in 2026-2027 but are expected to be offered in 2027-2028:
      • AP Comparative Government and Politics
      • Drafting 12
      • Engineering 12
    Other
      • New Media 11 is now an alternative to Literary Studies as a Grade 11 English course, satisfying both graduation requirements and post-secondary entrance requirements.
      • Grade 9-10 Students participating on Varsity teams that practice in-timetable (varsity swim, basketball, boys soccer, girls volleyball) need to select Varsity Study Block as an elective. This is in addition to the requirement to enroll in PHE. 
    Supplementary Forms
    The forms below are required for the following programs. See the relevant sections in this guide for due dates.

  • Shared Responsibilities During Course Planning

    All Students:
    • Guidance: Attend and engage in information sessions (as offered). It is the student's responsibility, in consultation with university counsellors, to complete all required courses for graduation and postsecondary admission.
    • Selection: Students indicate their course choices in late winter/spring for the following school year.
    • Alternates: Students must rank their selections in WolfNet by importance and specify alternates for non-mandatory courses to avoid an incomplete schedule.
    Parents:
    • Collaboration: Parents are encouraged to review the Program of Studies Guide together with their child to ensure choices support graduation and postsecondary goals.
    • Meetings: For Grade 12 course selection, at least one parent must attend an individual meeting with the student and the University Counselling staff.
    University Counsellors: 
    • Provide information sessions to students and families regarding courses and post-secondary guidance.
    • Provide individualized guidance and meet with students to review course loads against postsecondary intentions.
    • Receive and process course requests
    • Facilitate course changes in the new school year
    Teachers:
    • Are available to answer student questions and guide students to find reliable information
    • Heads of Department: consider student placement requests and determine final placement in courses with limited enrollment.
    Administration  
    • Adjudicate special requests
    • Allocate staffing and timetable resources to class sections
    • Generate student schedules

The Course Planning Cycle & Deadlines

Planning ⇨ Selection ⇨ Scheduling ⇨ Add/Drops

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  • PLANNING (January - March)

    This guide assists students in understanding course programming and graduation requirements. It is the responsibility of each student, in consultation with our university counsellors, to take all courses needed to fulfill graduation and postsecondary entrance requirements.

    Students should ensure they are familiar with graduation requirements and any prerequisite pathways relevant to their long-term goals.

    • Course planning worksheets are available at www.wpga.ca/planningworksheet. 
    • Grade 8-10: students rising to grades 8-10 will have a course selection assembly and classroom visits to assist them with planning.
    • Grade 11 and 12 : students rising to grades 11 and 12 will have individual meetings with a UCC counsellor.  A parent is required to attend for each student entering grade 12.

  • SELECTION (March 3 - 8)

    Students have the opportunity in the spring to indicate choices for the next school year. Selections must be entered into Wolfnet in the March 3 - 8 window.  Alternates should be indicated for students’ lower priority elective selections.

    Elective course offerings are contingent upon sufficient demand.  Certain courses may have limited space and/or a selective application process. Courses with fewer than 8 requests usually do not run.  Students are not permitted to drop courses if dropping would reduce the class size below 8.
     
    Not all courses are offered each year, so please review alternate year offerings carefully for your planning purposes. The following courses are not offered in 2026-2027 but are expected to be offered in 2027-2028:
    • AP Comparative Government and Politics
    • Drafting 12
    • Engineering 12

  • SCHEDULING (April - August)

    The timetable is the arrangement of course sections into timeslots, and the teachers, rooms and students assigned to them. Each year, WPGA engages a scheduling optimization specialist to design our timetable to maximize the satisfaction of course requests.  The success rate is typically around 99%.  

    The 1% of requests that cannot be satisfied results in incomplete timetables for a few dozen students, each of which are typically missing a single course. Those students are contacted in July and offered the opportunity to make suitable changes to complete their schedules.

    Student schedules will be accessible to students and parents August 22, 2026.

  • ADD/DROPS (August - September)

    Students can request changes to their schedules in August and September, but there are limiting factors that prevent many requests from being implemented. Each “drop” requires a corresponding “add”, and it is common for some course sections to reach their capacity, preventing desired changes.  Often a request to drop one course for another requires several courses to be moved around in a student’s schedule, and each receiving course needs to have space. It is also common for students to have to make trade-offs to make a desired “add” possible, such as switching an elective.  

    During the last week of summer holidays, advance add/drop meetings are conducted over Zoom with grades 10-12. Because most requests for course changes require a two-way conversation, requests for changes are not accepted by email.  Zoom times are as follows:
    • Grade 12 Aug 31 8am-10am and 2-3:30pm
    • Grade 11 Sep 2 8am-10am and 2-3:30pm
    • Grade 10 Sep 3 8am-10am and 2-3:30pm
    Students in grades 10-12 unable to make the Zoom times can drop in to the UCC in their free time starting September 9.  The deadline for add/drops for grades 10-12 is October 2, 2026.

    Students in grades 8 and 9 can request course changes in person in their free time starting September 9.  Requests for changes are not accepted by email.

  • Summary of Important Dates

     
    Constituents
    Event
    Date
    Grade 11s and Parents
    Individual UCC counselling meetings
    January - February
    Grade 11 / Parents
    Course selection assembly
    January 16
    Grade 7 / Parents
    Course selection assembly
    February 17
    Grade 10 / Parents
    Course selection assembly
    February 9, 2:20pm
    Grade 8 / Parents
    Course selection assembly
    February 17, 11:05am
    Grade 9 / Parents
    Course selection assembly
    February 17, 11:40am
    Grade 7
    Electives Info Session
    Late February
    Grade 7-11
    Selections entered in Wolfnet
    March 3 - 8
    Grade 8-12 (if needed)
    Incomplete schedule consultations
    July
    Grade 8-12, Parents
    Student schedules visible in Wolfnet
    August 22
    Grade 12
    Optional online course changes
    August 31, September 2, 3
    Grade 11
    Optional online course changes
    September 2, 3
    Grade 10
    Optional online course changes
    September 3
    Grade 8-9
    Grade 8/9 add/drop period
    September 9 - 18
    Grade 10-12 
    Grade 10-12 add/drop period
    September 9 - October 2

    August 16 Student schedules visible in Wolfnet
    August 18 - 22 consultations with qualifying students (incomplete schedules)
    Aug 25 – 29 Grades 10-12 early review sessions
    September 2-4 Consultations with students with incomplete schedules
    September 5 – 12 Student-initiated course changes
    September 15-26 Extended course changes for grades 10-12

  • COURSE CHANGES AND WITHDRAWALS

    Linear Timetable: Most courses run for the full academic year. Students must carefully choose courses as timetables are built based on their selections.

    Minimum Class Size: Course changes that drop a class below 8 students will not be permitted, including AP courses.

    Add/Drop Deadlines:
    • Grades 8/9: September 18 (end of the second week).
    • Grades 10-12: October 2 (end of the fourth week).
    Course Withdrawals Criteria (Post-Deadline): To be considered, students must meet ALL of the following:

    • Demonstrated sincere effort (teacher support, assignment completion, etc.)
    • Current proficiency level is "Emerging" or "Developing."
    • Teacher confirmation that proficiency is unlikely, even with continued effort.
    • Remaining course load is five academic courses.
    • Withdrawals are considered on a case-by-case basis, with administrative discretion and parental support required.
    • Approval is rare due to course load requirements and the difficulty of joining mid-year.

    Transcript Records:

    • Ministry of Education transcripts show only passed courses (grades 10-12) and the higher mark for repeated courses. Withdrawals and failed courses are not recorded.
    • WPGA aligns with Ministry practices but can include grade 9 courses upon request.

  • COURSE ENROLMENT, STUDY BLOCKS

    For flexibility of independent learning and school-life balance, students may have a limited number of designated study blocks. Study blocks are either independent, supervised by a teacher in a specific room (Guided Study), or scheduled to accommodate athletics (Varsity Study Block). Guidelines for study blocks are as follows:
     

    Grade Level
    Limitations
    8, 9, 10
    One block, supervised
    11, 12
    Two blocks (unsupervised)

    Study blocks are separate from Supervised Support Blocks in The Study, which are scheduled for students with specialized learning needs.


  • COURSE SELECTION

    Courses are selected in late winter for the subsequent school year. Staffing and other resource allocation decisions are based on course requests in a process that takes several months. Changes to course selections cannot be made between mid-April and the end of August.
     
    Choose Alternates for Non-Mandatory Courses 

    Course selections in WolfNet must be ranked in importance, with alternates specified for courses of choice. Failure to properly complete course selection can result in desired courses being unavailable. Designating alternates does not lessen chances of first-choices being scheduled; rather, it will decrease the likelihood of receiving an incomplete schedule in September. Students who do not indicate alternates for elective choices have the lowest priority when we review incomplete timetables and consult with students to complete them.  

  • WPGA course selection policies

    WPGA Language Policy
    BC Ministry & Bilingualism: WPGA ensures graduates meet BC Ministry of Education language requirements and are functionally bilingual in Canada's official languages.
    Language instruction is best supported through in-person learning. Online language courses are not aligned with WPGA's philosophy and are not valid for transition to higher grade levels in language instruction at WPGA.

    Modern Languages
        • Modern Languages courses may be taken externally or challenged if the student does not intend to take further courses at WPGA for which the external course is a prerequisite. French must be taken at WPGA up to and including French 10.
        • Students wishing to strengthen their language skills during the summer should consult their language teachers about options available.
    Grades 8-10:
        • French 10 is required.
        • Students may also choose Spanish or Mandarin.
        • Grade 9 students new to WPGA with limited French experience may be exempt from French 9 and continue a previously studied language (Spanish/Mandarin), subject to departmental approval.
        • Students with language exemption recommendations from an educational psychologist may opt out of second language instruction and take an elective in its place.
    Grades 11-12:
        • Students may choose French, Spanish, or Mandarin.
        • Completing a grade 12 language course exempts students from UBC's Bachelor of Arts/BFA first-year second-language requirement.
     
    English Course Policy
        • WPGA English Only: All grade-level English courses must be completed for the first time at WPGA.
        • English Studies 12 (ENST12):
          • ENST12 cannot be taken externally.
          • Students with external ENST12 credit, or those enrolled externally at the start of September, will not be permitted to continue at WPGA.
          • WPGA requires in-house ENST12 completion to ensure thorough preparation for post-secondary education.
          • Taking ENST12 elsewhere is seen as undermining further learning and is not aligned with WPGA graduate expectations.
        • Summer English Enrichment: Students seeking summer English skill development should consult their WPGA English teachers for appropriate learning options rather than enrolling in full-credit external courses.

    Mathematics Course policies
    Students will not be enrolled in math classes more than one grade-level above their cohort (ie no double acceleration).  
    We believe the best math learning occurs in regularly scheduled classes during the school year. We seldom recommend external Summer School or online courses, and we do not support acceleration through self-study even when supported by tutors. Students who want to complete a summer course and advance to the next level in September must…
        1. be at 92% or Proficient Plus in their current math course
        2. achieve at least 86% final mark in the summer.  
        3. Achieve 86% on a placement exam at WPGA in late August (Students must contact Mr Ito for date and time of placement test) Students intending to take an external math course in the summer must complete the intent form at www.wpga.ca/external AND they must contact Mr. Ito at bito@wpga.ca for review and approval prior to enrollment.  Summer school math courses with VSB tend to fill quickly, so students intending to take summer math should be monitoring the VSB site for enrollment opportunities in early May.  Approval from Mr. Ito should be sought by the end of April.
     
    Social Studies policies
    Social Studies 8 through 10 are required courses (to be taken at WPGA) while the rest are electives.  The Graduation Program requires a minimum of one Social Studies 11/12 course; WPGA only offers courses at the grade 12 level (for which WPGA Social Studies 10 is the prerequisite).
     
    Science Policies
    Students will not be enrolled in science classes more than one grade-level above their cohort (ie no double acceleration). Starting with the 2031 cohort, all students are required to enroll in Science 8 - 10 at WPGA. 
      • We believe the best science learning occurs in regularly scheduled classes during the school year. The development of proficiency in learning standards is supported by deep immersion over time and students benefit greatly from interaction with peers.  Online formats and summer school do not match the enriched learning environment of the WPGA classroom, even though they can provide the student with a valid credential.  For these reasons, we seldom recommend external Summer School or online courses for student continuing in science education and we are phasing out external courses as part of our AP pathways between now and 2031.

      • Students up to the 2030 cohort wishing to accelerate from Science 8 to Science 10 in their Grade 9 year engaged in a candidacy process beginning in January, 2026. An overview and details of this process were given to interested parents/students in December.

      • Science acceleration refers to the completion of sequential courses on reduced timescales.  As such, the depth of learning can be subordinated to speed. For this reason, WPGA students are, in almost all cases, limited to taking science courses one year ahead of their current grade level. To optimize student learning, only one acceleration opportunity is permitted in a student’s 5-year experience at WPGA, either within our own acceleration program or, much less preferably, in an online/summer school format. The curricular competencies, research skills, and critical thinking skills embedded in our WPGA Science program are required for success in senior science courses.

        Science acceleration will be phased out over the 2026 - 2031 timeframe to ensure all students benefit from the WPGA science program and assuredly emerge with science competencies needed for their futures.  Acceleration through the grade 8 - 10 curriculum has been used in the past as the means for students to complete 6 sequential course levels in their 5 years of high school.  Starting with the 2031 cohort, all students will be required to complete Science 8 - 10 during the regular school year at WPGA - no summer school and no accelerated cohorts.  The preparation for Advance Placement Biology, Chemistry and Physics will begin for those students in September of their grade 11 year, with requirements and opportunities in each of the three disciplines differing slightly.  Details will be published by January 2028.

        For the students in the 2028, 2029, and 2030 cohorts, here remain three pathways for science acceleration, each with their own criteria.
        1. Completing  the “Acceleration Candidacy Process” successfully during the second half of grade 8, from January to early July.
        2. by taking Science 10 and Life Sciences 11 concurrently, given demonstrated proficiency in each of the learning standards on the final Science 9 report card and the Science 9 teacher’s permission
        3. by taking Physics 12 or Chemistry 12 in summer school as the prerequisite for an Advanced Placement course in those subjects.
        4. Classes of 2029 and 2030 only: Science 10 in summer school following Science 9 at WPGA with Proficient or higher in all learning standards on Science 9 June reports, and a placement test in August administered at WPGA demonstrating Proficiency in all Science 10 learning standards.

  • AP Placement Overview

    Advanced Placement (AP) Program Overview

    The Advanced Placement (AP) program, provided by the College Board, allows students to engage in university-level curriculum while in high school. While these courses are not required for graduation or Canadian university entrance, high marks can enhance applications for international universities and specialized Canadian programs.

    University Credit & Admissions
    • University Recognition: Most universities reward successful AP exam results by either granting first-year credits or allowing students to jump directly into second-year courses.
    • Admissions vs. Exams: Universities typically base admission decisions on school-awarded transcript marks, not AP exam scores. Because exam results are released in July, Grade 12 scores are rarely used for initial admission offers.
    • Strategic Importance: For Grade 11 students, exam results are available during the application cycle and may impact admissions or scholarship eligibility.
    Grading and Registration
    • Assessment: Students receive a standard transcript mark from their teacher, which is unaffected by their performance on the external AP exam.
    • Exam Logistics: Students enrolled in an AP course at WPGA are automatically registered for the exam via AP Classroom.
    • Costs: Fees range from $153–$203 CAD per exam, billed to the student's account after the May testing period.
    • External Courses: Students are not advised to take external AP courses, as Universities evaluate students in the context of their own school and do not value taking AP courses elsewhere.  If students choose to take external courses they must write exams at that institution; and these marks will not appear on the school or ministry transcript. 
    Enrollment Guidelines
    • Grade 10: Participation is very limited; students may take a maximum of two AP courses.
    • AP options: Some AP courses are limited to certain Grade levels (see the course catalougue)
    • Availability: offerings depend on student demand and may run on alternating years or not at all.
    Requirement: Students should only choose AP courses if they understand the rigorous workload and have consulted with their UCC counsellor regarding how specific universities use AP results.

Curriculum by Grade Level

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Since 1996, West Point Grey Academy has gratefully resided on the Jericho Lands, the unceded traditional territories of the xʷməθkʷəy̓əm (Musqueam Indian Band), Sḵwx̱wú7mesh (Squamish) Nation and sə̓lílwətaʔɬ (Tsleil-Waututh) Nation. Honoured to learn and play on these beautiful lands, we endeavour to be a leader in Indigenous education. In creating shared understanding and opportunities, we hope to help foster a more equitable society for all.

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West Point Grey Academy

4125 West 8th Avenue
Vancouver, B.C., V6R 4P9
Tel: 604-222-8750