In the ninth and tenth grades, English is offered as a regular or honors class. In the eleventh and twelfth grades, students who have earned A's or B's in the honors classes may choose to take the Advanced Placement courses which allow them to take tests at the end of the year to earn college credit. The honors and AP curricula require more outside reading, more detailed papers and a generally stronger work ethic, but students are well prepared for college at either level. Students will graduate having written at least three research papers. Students also become proficient in the use of computers and often enhance their projects with the use of sophisticated Power Point presentations.

On any given day a visitor might see English students recreating scenes from Shakespeare, presenting original creative writing to the class, working on electronic journals or engaging in lively discussions of literature ranging from The Odyssey to the Harlem Renaissance to The Canterbury Tales. Students are continually encouraged to develop both college preparatory skills and their creative abilities.

The African American Literature class is a departmental elective. It helps students recognize and understand the contributions of African American writers to history and the contemporary world.

Journalism classes offer students the opportunity to learn writing, photography, editing and layout skills while working on two student publications. Campus Currents is the student newspaper, and Fricasse is the school yearbook. Students also publish Potpourri, a literary magazine, as an extracurricular activity.