Dublin Schools Limit AP and Honors Classes for Student Mental Health

The new policy aims to reduce academic stress, but some students worry it could hurt college admissions.

Feb. 6, 2026 at 12:55am

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The Dublin Unified School District in California has introduced a new policy that limits high school students to a maximum of 4 AP or honors classes per academic year, or 11 advanced classes over the 4 years of high school. The district says the goal is to prioritize student mental health and wellbeing, but some students and parents are concerned it could negatively impact their college admissions prospects.

Why it matters

The new policy reflects a growing trend among schools to address rising rates of student stress and mental health issues, particularly those driven by academic pressures. However, there are concerns that limiting access to advanced coursework could put Dublin students at a disadvantage compared to peers in other districts when applying to competitive colleges.

The details

The new policy, approved unanimously by the Dublin School Board, goes into effect for the 2026/2027 academic year. There is an appeals process where students can request exceptions. The district has already received some appeals from students concerned about the impact on their college applications. Education consultants argue that colleges care more about a student's overall performance and well-rounded profile than just the raw number of AP/honors classes taken.

  • The new policy was approved by the Dublin School Board a few weeks ago.
  • The policy goes into effect for the 2026/2027 academic year.

The players

Dublin Unified School District

The public school district serving the city of Dublin, California.

Aadi Chawla

A freshman at Dublin High School who was planning to take AP classes next year.

Ian Chung

A junior at Dublin High School who is currently taking 3 AP classes.

Jonathan Ginsberg

The president and co-founder of Beyond Education Consulting, a firm that has worked with close to a thousand families on college admissions.

Chris Funk

The Superintendent of the Dublin Unified School District.

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What they’re saying

“The regular classes I'm in right now. I feel like they aren't enough of a challenge. They don't get me ready for college.”

— Aadi Chawla, Dublin High School Freshman

“The policy makes us worse off and less appealing toward those colleges because their academic record and the rigor in other high schools is higher than us. I think it's really a disadvantage.”

— Ian Chung, Dublin High School Junior

“The easiest way to say hey, my child is prepared for the future is more APs, higher GPA, at all costs, but colleges are not obsessed with this number. They don't care. They just want to see oh, you're smart. You have a bunch of As in top classes, you have a strong GPA among classes that are available to you, but what else are you doing with your time?”

— Jonathan Ginsberg, President and Co-Founder, Beyond Education Consulting

“Thinking that you have to take every single possible class in order to get to your college of choice creates unnecessary stress in the system and unnecessary stress on individual students.”

— Chris Funk, Superintendent, Dublin Unified School District

What’s next

The district has already received appeals from some students regarding the new policy, and will consider exceptions on a case-by-case basis.

The takeaway

The Dublin schools' decision to limit AP and honors classes reflects a broader shift in education towards prioritizing student mental health and wellbeing, even if it means potentially sacrificing some academic competitiveness. This highlights the ongoing debate around the role of advanced coursework in high school and how to balance academic rigor with student stress levels.