NORTON - The number of Norton High School students enrolled in calculus classes are their highest in five years, Principal Raymond Dewar says.

Advanced placement and honors calculus are both being offered this year to meet the demand, Dewar told the school committee.

There are 28 students taking calculus this year, said Mary Taylor, math coordinator for grades 6 to 12.

Dewar said he has sat in recently on Norton High calculus classes and left feeling that "I learned something today."

Dewar addressed calculus while discussing eight new courses for next year, including Project Based Mathematics. The school board approved the courses.

The new math course will have students doing hands-on projects that apply classroom concepts, Dewar said.

"It could be a very good third or fourth math course for a lot of kids who are not necessarily going to become engineers," he said.

"This tries to answer the question, 'What good is math, anyway?'" school board Vice Chairman Andrew Mackie replied.