High school credits - Which classes give most?

I've been planning my class schedule for the next academic year and I am trying to stay on top of my credits. Which classes typically award the most credits in high school? I understand this might vary by school, but any insight would be appreciated.

The number of credits assigned to a class generally depends on its complexity and the number of hours it takes in a week. While it's true that this varies from school to school, there are a few commonalities that many high schools follow.

Typically, core classes like math, science, social studies, and English are given 1 credit because they are essential to satisfy graduation requirements and they take a significant amount of class time. These classes usually meet every day or almost every day of the week for an entire school year.

Some high schools also offer honors and Advanced Placement (AP) courses, which are considered to be more challenging. Despite being more intense, these are typically also awarded 1 credit, although they're often weighted differently when calculating a student's GPA because of the additional workload and difficulty level.

Elective classes (like art, music, or foreign languages) or other requirements (like health or PE) will often receive 0.5 to 1 credit. Such classes might meet less frequently, or be taken for only one semester, hence the fewer number of credits.

You won't really find classes that give 'more' than 1 credit in most high schools since 1 credit generally equates to a year-long class. If you want to gain more credits in a year, you might consider taking more classes, or look into opportunities for dual enrollment at a local college, where you could potentially earn both high school and college credits simultaneously.

Remember that while maximizing credit count is useful for meeting graduation requirements, it's also important to ensure that your course load is manageable and aligns with your post-high school plans. For instance, if you're planning to attend a competitive university, they will look not only at the number of credits you earned, but also at the rigor of the courses you took. In this case, such colleges value a balance of high course rigor (like AP, IB, or honors courses) and achieving strong grades. If you're considering a career-oriented path such as trade school, prioritize classes related to your planned trade.