I don't know what they're doing these days (I don't have teenagers) but I know back in my day we'd get rid of required classes in summer school to free up more schedule slots during the regular school year. I personally took Geometry one summer and US History another summer to be able to take AP Calculus and Photography my senior year. There was actually more than a half dozen AP/honors students in the US History class who also wanted to free up a slot in their senior year schedule for either an AP class or an elective, so I know I was not the only one to do this.

Kids with college ambitiions are under pressure to get advanced classes on that all-important transcript. I've never heard of a counselor allowing a student to take a class in lieu of a lunch period. Not in the Kern High School District, anyway. I'm beginning to wonder if advanced and honors courses are oversold. Does a "C" in an honors class get higher regard than a "B" in a regular class?

catpaw, I know the A is overinflated (5 pt instead of 4 pt) for AP/Honors classes, but I can't remember if the other grades are likewise bumped up a point. Sadly, that's part of the pressure to take more such classes, because you can get higher than a 4.0 GPA if you have enough.

The AP frenzy is steadily rewriting the way we teach our advanced students.  I remember a time when taking one or two AP classes (and the subsequent tests) was looked upon as a great accomplishment for a high schooler.  I mean, after all, you were taking a college level  course that was backed up by a standardized test to show just what a bright little whippersnapper you were.  The extra grade point sure helped.  They became quite popular.

The testing service took notice of this incredibly lucrative product and began to make more.  Whereas you once got to choose beween AP English, History and Calculus you now have schools filling their schedules with AP Environmental Studies, Art, foreign languages, and the list goes on. 

The good news: students have a great opportunity to take a college lecture-style class that has an assessment designed to level the playing field. (No grade inflation on a standardized test)  The bad news: students who used to take Honors classes and explore their world for the sake of knowledge are now thrust into high stakes test-prep classes.  Good for the testing companies, bad for intellectual curiosity.  We'll survive.

The answer to the nutritional problem is simple:  Follow the current trend and offer AP Lunch.  Kids will sign up in droves.

I'll bet you don't see much crime being committed by these high achievers.