High School

Studies have shown that students who earn college credits while attending high school are more likely to graduate and pursue a formal education. Dual enrollment provides Pinnacle students an opportunity to enhance their education by enrolling early in college courses.

In Pinnacle’s dual enrollment program, our students are able to earn high school and college credits simultaneously. Pinnacle students are able to accumulate college credits before entering college, allowing them to graduate early. The dual enrollment program at Pinnacle Academy provides our students with a solid transition from high school to college without the overwhelm that comes from the changing environment.

In order to be enrolled in dual enrollment classes, all students must demonstrate college readiness by meeting one of the following placement or scoring criteria:

• SAT Critical Reading and Writing sections score of 500 or higher (before March 2016)
• SAT Evidence-Based Reading & Writing section score of 480 or higher (after March 2016)
• ACT score of 18 or higher on Reading and Combined English/Writing sections (before Sept. 2015)
• ACT score of 18 or higher on English, Reading AND Writing sections (after Sept. 2015)
• AP English Literature or AP Language and Composition Exam score of 3 or higher
• IB English score of 5 of higher
• Virginia Placement Test (VPT) – Qualifying score into ENG 111 for Transfer Course/ENF 1 for Non-Transfer-Oriented Courses

Students must meet one of the following placement or scoring criteria in Mathematics:

• Passing score on math SOL taken within last two school years
• PSAT Math section score of 52 or higher (before Oct. 2015)
• PSAT Math section score of 500 or higher (after Oct. 2015)
• SAT Math section score of 520 or higher (before March 2016)
• SAT Math section score of 530 or higher (after March 2016)
• ACT Math score of 22 or higher
• AP Calculus BC Exam score of 3 or higher
• IB Math score of 5 or higher
• Virginia Placement Test (VPT) – Qualifying placement out of one MTE unit

Be aware that certain courses, usually within the math discipline, have prerequisites or higher placement test requirements. In addition to meeting the college readiness standards for Dual Enrollment, students will need to meet the prerequisites or corequisites for the course. Students taking MTH 263 or higher cannot use PSAT, SAT or ACT math exemptions to qualify them to take the course. Students enrolling in higher level math courses must take the Math VPT, have a qualifying AP or IB math score, or have a C or higher in the prerequisite course. Check the course descriptions for the individual classes before enrolling.

AP courses are offered on an open-enrollment basis through Apex Learning. 

• AP Spanish Language & Culture
• AP French Language & Culture 
• AP U.S. History
• AP U.S. Government and Politics 
• AP Macroeconomics 
• AP Microeconomics 
• AP Psychology
• AP English Literature & Composition
• AP English Language & Composition
• AP Environmental Science 
• AP Biology
• AP Chemistry
• AP Calculus AB
• AP Statistics 

Honors Courses: 

• English I
• Algebra I
• Algebra II
• Geometry
• Pre-Calculus
• World History
• Biology
• Spanish
• Turkish
• PLTW-Introduction to Engineering