Looking to the future

North Penn, in north-central Montgomery County, is one of the state's largest high schools, with 3,500 students in grades 10, 11 and 12. The school has established learning communities. One, with an enrollment of 120, has a special focus: engineering. The students share common interests with classmates and teachers, said Michael. "It's that unifying theme, that they all want to be engineers."

Still other schools, especially in Philadelphia, are adding Advanced Placement (AP) courses - college-level courses marketed by the College Board - although a few are dropping them, mirroring the national trend.

Two private schools, Haverford and Westtown, have stopped offering AP. Instead, teachers have developed their own advanced curricula, and their students can take the end-of-course AP tests for college credit.

And while five city schools now tout that they offer the International Baccalaureate curriculum - as do Lower Merion and the George School - the Cherry Hill district has begun to phase it out, citing its cost but also equity issues. Elements of the IB program, which is known for its challenging coursework, were being offered in some, but not all, Cherry Hill schools.

All districts are pressing the effort to move students onto a college-preparatory track, and a school that will open this fall in southern Chester County illustrates how the line between K-12 and college is being erased: The new Chester County Technical College High School will function as both a technical high school and a campus of Delaware County Community College, expanding the opportunities for the high school students to take college-credit coursework.