High School Math: Curriculum, Worksheets, Lessons & More

Even if you’re not a math whiz yourself, equipped with an excellent high school math curriculum and the tips on this page, you can help your child master the math they need for high school graduation requirements and college admissions (or other post-graduation goals). Discover what is covered in high school math, how these topics and their order can vary from student to student, the best ways to learn high school math, and our two top high school curriculum choices. 

Sonlight recommends and sells two brands for high school math: Saxon Math and Math-U-See. (Our other recommended math programs, while excellent choices, don’t cover grades past middle school.) 

Because math is so sequential, it’s essential to use a curriculum for which your student is prepared. Skipping ahead for the sake of staying “on grade level” is counterproductive. Choose a math program that matches your teen’s current math ability and provide remediation where there are deficiencies. 

Take the Saxon Math placement test to find the best fit for your high schooler’s math curriculum.

Take the Math-U-See placement test to identify the best level for your high schooler.

Download free high school math lessons, worksheets, and tests with these samples:

1. Supplementary and Complementary Angles (from Math-U-See Geometry)
2. Negative Exponents, Product and Power Theorems for Exponents, Circle Relationships Page 1 | Page 2 | Test (from Saxon Math Algebra 2) 
3. Quadratic Formula (from Math-U-See Algebra 2)
4. Advanced Math 10th Grade Test (from Saxon Math Advanced Math)
5. Signs of Trigonometric Functions page 1 & page 2 (from Saxon Math Advanced Math)
6. Exponential and Logarithmic Functions (from Math-U-See PreCalculus) 

Use these handy charts of formulas and key information to help your teen succeed in high school math.

In high school math, students will encounter these types of problems and equations: 

• conic sections
• equations containing radicals
• geometric theorems and postulates
• geometric proofs
• logarithms
• systems of equations
• complex numbers
• radical expressions and equations
• graphing
• trigonomic ratios
• trigonomic identities
• polar and rectangular coordinates
• composition functions including domain and range
• graphing trigonomic functions
• arithmetic and geometric sequences and series
• solving special right triangles
• graphing parabolas, circles, ellipses, and hyperbolas
• systems of equations and functions 
• trigonometry
• exponential and logarithmic functions
• limits and continuity
• derivative rules
• chain rule
• derivatives of trigonometric functions
• derivatives of ex and ln(x) 
• implicit differentiation 
• graphing with the 1st and 2nd derivative 
• finding area under a curve
• definite integrals
• finding area between two curves
• differential equations 

In high school math courses, a teen will work with these types of numbers and operations: 

• real and imaginary numbers
• square and cube roots
• rational and irrational numbers
• exponential numbers
• complex numbers
• graphing equations and conic sections
• solving real world problems that involve modeling with conics
• trigonometric ratios and identities
• angles of elevation and depression
• verifying trigonometric identities
• graphing basic and translated trigonometric curves
• logarithms and natural logs
• sequences and series

During the high school years, students will spend extensive time in both algebra and geometry studies, including these key concepts:

• polynomial equations
• factoring quadratic equations
• simplifying radical expressions
• working with complex fractions
• solving linear equations
• solving quadratic equations using graphing, factoring, and the quadratic formula

Beyond eighth grade, Common Core Math standards are arranged by topic instead of by grade. Schools and curriculum brands vary somewhat in how they order the topics of math classes in high school, so the sequence is not as critical as simply covering the necessary topics. 

Visit the Scope & Sequence page to see how Math-U-See and Saxon Math arrange these topics for the high school years and earlier grades.

High school math topics may vary from student to student depending on their state of residence and their future plans. For example, each state has its own minimum graduation requirements for math. College admission offices may have additional prerequisites. 

Most standardized state math tests are complete by 8th grade. In high school, the emphasis for testing shifts to post-graduation goals:

• the ACT and SAT for college admissions
• the Armed Services Vocational Aptitude Battery (ASVAB) for military service

Of course, math mastery is a large portion of these tests, so having a strong grasp of high school math is essential for high performance on these assessments. It’s not an exaggeration to say that your high schooler’s proficiency with math can open (or close) doors for higher education and career opportunities.