Is Chemistry Required in High School in Hawaii?
A Hawaii High School Diploma shall be issued to students who meet the requirements of the Board of Education (Policy 102-15) and have earned 3 science credits including Biology 1 (1 credit) and science basic electives (2 credits). For students to be considered for Honors, they must also complete the following science courses:
- Academic Honors: A total of 4 credits of science: Of the four credits, one credit must be in Biology 1 or equivalent IB Biology; or AP Biology courses.
- STEM Honors: A total of 4 credits of science: Of the four credits, one credit must be in Biology 1 or equivalent IB Biology; or AP Biology courses.
Each high school in Hawaii sets its own science curriculum and can vary depending on the school. However, most schools require students to take chemistry courses in grades 10, 11, and 12. Chemistry in Grade 10 focuses on fundamentals and prepares students for college chemistry. Honors Chemistry in Grade 10 dives deeper into topics such as:
- Structure of matter
- States of matter
- Reaction type
- Stoichiometry
- Kinetics
- Equilibrium
- Thermodynamics
- Oxidation-reduction reactions
- Electrochemistry
- Acid-base chemistry
- Descriptive chemistry
- Organic chemistry
- Nuclear chemistry
Each school sets its own curriculum for the elective courses as well. Several of the elective choices for students in Grades 11 & 12 cover various aspects of chemistry, such as gastronomy, environmental chemistry, or food chemistry. For schools that offer AP Chemistry courses, students study concepts such as:
- Properties of elements
- Periodic tendencies
- Gas laws
- Equations
- Solution chemistry
- Stoichiometry
- Acid-base chemistry
- Oxidation-reduction reactions
- Electrochemistry with an emphasis on the theoretical, qualitative, and quantitative aspects of solution chemistry, kinetics, equilibrium, thermochemistry, and organic chemistry.