AP Computer Science A (Cortado)
The CodeHS AP CSA (Cortado) course is a College Board endorsed course that is 100% aligned to the updated Course and Exam Description (CED). It is a year-long course designed to help students master the basics of Java and equip them to successfully pass the AP Computer Science A Exam at the end of the school year.
The CodeHS curriculum has been pre-approved by College Board's AP Course Audit as meeting or exceeding the curricular expectations colleges and universities have for this subject. Visit our AP CSA Resources or our AP CSA Hub page to learn more about the course and other resources we offer! You can also view the AP CSA (Cortado) Webinar for more information.
Course Prerequisites
The AP Computer Science in Java course is a fast-paced, AP level course. While there are no official prerequisites for the CodeHS AP Java course, we recommend that students take our Introduction to Computer Science course in either JavaScript or Python prior to AP CSA. Learn more about our high school curriculum pathways here.
The CodeHS AP CSA (Cortado) course will prepare students for the multiple choice and free response AP Computer Science A exam. Each unit includes a cumulative midterm and final AP-style multiple choice and free response exam that tests understanding of the concepts in the unit.
AP CSA and Java Flavors: Cortado vs. Nitro vs. Mocha
The AP CSA (Cortado) course is the most recent version of our course, and was created to align with the framework and sequence of units established by College Board in their updated CED, effective Fall 2025. Not only is Cortado fully aligned with the new CED, it also delivers a major update to the Nitro content, with new and improved videos, enhanced activities, and stronger, research-backed lesson structures.
Other AP CSA Flavors
The AP CSA (Nitro) course was our previously endorsed AP CSA course, implementing the sequence of units that College Board recommended in its previous CED. Similar to AP CSA (Cortado), this course uses an objects-first approach.
The AP CSA (Mocha) course was also aligned to the previous AP CSA CED, however it taught objects later in the course, differing from the unit sequence recommended by College Board.
While we strongly recommend choosing AP CSA (Cortado) as your fully aligned AP course, you may still use Nitro or Mocha with some modifications. To use these older versions of AP CSA but remain aligned with College Board’s new AP CSA framework effective Fall 2025, you will need to make the modifications described below.
Using AP CSA (Nitro):
Add content about File I/O (lesson 4.6 in Cortado)
Remove content where students applied inheritance (Unit 9)
Using AP CSA (Mocha):
Add content about File I/O (lesson 4.6 in Cortado)
Remove lessons where students applied inheritance (lessons 4.13 - 4.17)
Still have questions? Contact our team at hello@codehs.com to learn more!