Overview
The IB Computer Science curriculum was updated in 2025, with students beginning the new course in Fall 2025 and sitting their first exams in 2027. This guide summarizes what CodeHS currently offers that is relevant to the new standards and how to make the most of it.
What you need to know:
CodeHS does not yet have a course built specifically for the 2025 IB CS standards.
We do have substantial content across programming concepts, networking, cybersecurity, AI/ML, and data concepts that maps to a significant portion of the new SL framework.
Both Python and Java are supported. Coverage varies by language path (see the tables below).
Content Coverage by Topic Area
The new IB CS standards allow teachers to choose between Python and Java as their programming language. The tables below show coverage for each path. Content for sections A1–A4 (hardware, networks, databases, and AI) is the same regardless of language choice — differences between paths appear in sections B1–B3 (programming and computational thinking).
Python Path
Primary courses: Introduction to Python Programming, Fundamentals of Cybersecurity, Advanced Cybersecurity, Introduction to AI for High School
IB Topic Area | Relevant CodeHS Content | Coverage |
A1.1 — Hardware & Systems(CPU, Memory, Storage, Cloud) | Fundamentals of Cybersecurity: Internal Components, Storage Options, Cloud Computing (SaaS/PaaS/IaaS), Operating Systems | Partial |
A1.2 — Data Representation(Binary, Hex, Logic Gates) | Fundamentals of Cybersecurity: Computers Speak Binary, Bits & Text, Encoding Images. Logic gates and truth tables are not covered. | Partial |
A1.3 — Operating Systems(Functions, Scheduling, Interrupts) | Fundamentals of Cybersecurity: Operating Systems. Scheduling algorithms and interrupt handling are not covered. | Partial |
A2 — Networks(Architecture, Protocols, Security) | Fundamentals of Cybersecurity: Network Devices, IP Addresses, Routing & Packets, OSI Model, Encryption, Firewalls. Advanced Cybersecurity: Network Design, Private Networks, VLANs, Networking Services. | Strong |
A3 — Databases(Relational DB, SQL, ERDs) | Fundamentals & Advanced Cybersecurity: SQL filtering, joins, ordering, basic relational DB concepts. ERDs, normalization, and DDL/DML are not covered. | Partial |
A4 — AI & Machine Learning(Types, Ethics, Hardware) | Introduction to AI: ML types, real-world applications, bias in training, deepfakes, hallucinations, AI ethics. ML hardware (ASICs, FPGAs, TPUs) not covered. | Strong |
B1 — Computational Thinking(Problem Solving, Flowcharts) | Advanced Cybersecurity: Engineering Design Process. Computational thinking concepts and flowchart tracing are not covered. | Partial |
B2 — Programming Fundamentals(Variables, Loops, Functions, Algorithms) | Introduction to Python Programming: variables, strings, loops, functions, lists, stacks, queues, exceptions, debugging, file I/O, searching. Sorting algorithms not currently mapped. | Strong |
B3 — Object-Oriented Programming(Classes, Inheritance, Encapsulation) | Introduction to Python Programming: classes, objects, methods, inheritance, encapsulation, hidden attributes, class vs. instance variables. UML diagrams not currently covered. | Strong |
Full Python alignment can be found on the CodeHS IB CS SL Standards Mapping page.
Java Path
Primary courses: AP Computer Science A, Fundamentals of Cybersecurity, Advanced Cybersecurity, Introduction to AI for High School
IB Topic Area | Relevant CodeHS Content | Coverage |
A1.1 — Hardware & Systems(CPU, Memory, Storage, Cloud) | Fundamentals of Cybersecurity: Internal Components, Storage Options, Cloud Computing (SaaS/PaaS/IaaS), Operating Systems | Partial |
A1.2 — Data Representation(Binary, Hex, Logic Gates) | Fundamentals of Cybersecurity: Computers Speak Binary, Bits & Text, Encoding Images. Logic gates and truth tables are not covered. | Partial |
A1.3 — Operating Systems(Functions, Scheduling, Interrupts) | Fundamentals of Cybersecurity: Operating Systems. Scheduling algorithms and interrupt handling are not covered. | Partial |
A2 — Networks(Architecture, Protocols, Security) | Fundamentals of Cybersecurity: Network Devices, IP Addresses, Routing & Packets, OSI Model, Encryption, Firewalls. Advanced Cybersecurity: Network Design, Private Networks, VLANs, Networking Services. | Strong |
A3 — Databases(Relational DB, SQL, ERDs) | Fundamentals & Advanced Cybersecurity: SQL filtering, joins, ordering, basic relational DB concepts. ERDs, normalization, and DDL/DML are not covered. | Partial |
A4 — AI & Machine Learning(Types, Ethics, Hardware) | Introduction to AI: ML types, real-world applications, bias in training, deepfakes, hallucinations, AI ethics. ML hardware (ASICs, FPGAs, TPUs) not covered. | Strong |
B1 — Computational Thinking(Problem Solving, Flowcharts) | AP CS A: Intro to Algorithms, computational thinking concepts. Advanced Cybersecurity: Engineering Design Process. Flowchart tracing is not covered. | Partial |
B2 — Programming Fundamentals(Variables, Loops, Functions, Algorithms) | AP CS A: variables, selection, loops, methods, arrays, ArrayLists, searching, sorting, Big O, file processing. Stacks, queues, and exception handling not currently mapped. | Strong |
B3 — Object-Oriented Programming(Classes, Inheritance, Encapsulation) | AP CS A: classes, constructors, methods, static vs. instance variables, encapsulation, access modifiers, UML diagrams. | Strong |
Full Java alignment can be found on the CodeHS IB CS SL Standards Mapping page.
Recommended CodeHS Courses to Use Now
Because the new IB standards allow content to be taught in flexible order, these courses can be used modularly — assign individual units or lessons rather than running a full course.
Fundamentals of Cybersecurity — hardware, binary, networking, OS basics, SQL, Python programming fundamentals (both paths)
Advanced Cybersecurity — network design, VLANs, routing, advanced SQL, Python programming (both paths)
Introduction to AI for High School — ML types, real-world AI applications, bias, ethics, deepfakes (both paths)
Introduction to Python Programming — full Python programming coverage including OOP, data structures, algorithms (Python path)
AP Computer Science A — Java-based OOP, algorithms, searching, sorting, Big O, file processing (Java path)
Visit the CodeHS Course Catalog to explore all our available courses. If you have questions, please email us at support@codehs.com.