During the Mountain View–Los Altos School Board meeting on May 9, the district announced changes to its history course offerings at both Los Altos and Mountain View High School, including the potential removal of Advanced Placement European History and AP Human Geography as options for sophomore students.

These changes follow the district’s reassessment of whether AP European History and AP Human Geography meet the California state world history requirement, which the World Studies class was created to meet.

“Some community members were concerned about whether or not we were fulfilling the world history graduation requirement,” MVLA Superintendent Eric Volta said. “So, we asked teachers to present to the board what was taught in those different courses.”

Currently, Los Altos High sophomores can choose between World Studies, AP Human Geography and AP European History to fulfill their world history requirement. With the district’s proposed changes, the AP options may be removed or shifted to upper grades as an elective to create space for a standardized sophomore curriculum centered around World Studies, Volta said.

While no formal decision has been made, Volta said the district has begun discussions with staff and teachers, with plans to revisit the topic next year.

Volta acknowledged concerns about a lack of choice for sophomores but emphasized that the district’s goal is not to reduce academic rigor.

“The courses aren’t going anywhere,” he said. “Students could still take the course. It’s just whether or not it would count towards World History.”

The MVLA school board is expected to review the proposed curriculum changes in the coming months, with any approved adjustments taking effect in the 2026–27 school year at the earliest, according to Volta.