Philadelphia-area public schools offer a variety of innovative programs that give high schoolers the jump-starts and specialized attention they need to reach their full potential, write Adeoluwa Fatukasi, Bradford Pearson, and Owen Spaloss for the Philadelphia Magazine.

Two of those 18 awesome programs are right here in Bucks County.

Pennsbury High School in Fairless Hills offers the Astrophysics program, started by teacher Glenn Goldsborough. In the early 2000s, Goldsborough expanded a half-year astronomy class into a full-year astrophysics course. The program explores what we know about the universe and the science that explains how we know those things.

Last year, the school district bought an inflatable planetarium to benefit all Pennsbury students. Goldsborough then visited every elementary school in the district to give a demonstration in the planetarium to fifth-grade classes­.

Another impactful program is Council Rock School District’s Sloan School in Richboro. Administrators created the school for students who are struggling to provide them with a nontraditional, off-campus environment that meets them where they are.

The tiny school with just around 35 students offers core courses as well as electives that range from computer science to ancient myths.

Read more about these two awesome Bucks County high school programs in the Philadelphia Magazine.