On Wednesday, March 26, Archie Williams announced that they will not offer Advanced Placement (AP) Chemistry in the 2026-2027 school year due to lack of enrollment, with only nine students signing up. Students and teachers recognize AP Chemistry for its rigor and generally small class sizes. The school will bring back the course during the 27-28 school year if interest and enrollment increase.
Elizabeth Geler, known to students as Dr. Geler, has been teaching at Archie Williams for the past four years and has been the AP chemistry teacher for two years. The AP chemistry course is usually smaller, but it forms a tight-knit community that is similar to a college course. Dr. Geler feels that part of the reason there is such a strong community within the class is because of the small number of people who take it.
“We build relationships and the college-type feeling because it’s a lot of group teaching…Students come here in tutorial, they meet, and they work together. I always recommend that students have a group chat. They are a small class; it forms a little community,” Geler said.
While Dr. Geler is sad she will not be able to teach the course next year, she plans to support the few students who want to take the class as much as she can.
“I understand, it’s a public school, and we cannot run a class with 10 people, but I am looking for alternative ways to help the students who want to do it. I already proposed to the principal to do an AP Chemistry club, and my plan is to meet with the students once per week and be a mentor for them,” Geler said.
The school postponed the class in previous years for the same reason, but it still returned in the following years. Geler feels a large part of the reason there are not enough sign-ups is because of the rigor of the course.
“At the open house, I am honest with the students. This is a college class, and it will take you at least four hours outside of school. I do that not to select students, but because I believe in hard work, and this class takes a lot of hard work,” Geler said.
Assistant principal Nate Severin explained that AP Chemistry usually needs somewhere around 28 signups to run the course.
“For a science class, it’s 28 people in order to run [a class]. If that doesn’t happen, we have to make decisions about what runs and what doesn’t…and about how we are supporting the teachers that we have based on the students who are signing up because those students are otherwise choosing other classes,” Severin said.
Despite the class not having enough enrollment for the upcoming school year, there are students interested in the course in the future. Juniors who signed up this year are looking to find alternative options, and current sophomores, including Penelope Behr, are uncertain about the future of their science courses
“I was looking forward to the opportunity to take more advanced chemistry courses in my senior year, so I’m really hoping the class will return by then,” Penelope said.
Though Archie Williams will not offer AP Chemistry during the 26-27 school year, there is a possibility that it will return the following year if enough students express interest in the class. In the past, enrollment in this course has fluctuated over the years, but with enough interest, we will see the return of this course. Students interested in taking AP Chemistry in the future should express their interest during course selection next year. Until then, students will explore alternative science options while the school evaluates enrollment for the future.
