Students at Leadership Academy are allowed to use scientific and graphing calculators in Algebra 1, Geometry, Euclidean Geometry, Algebra 2, and PreCalculus. Students enrolled in Middle School math classes or PreAlgebra are NOT allowed to use calculators unless otherwise specified by their mentor.

Online Calculators

There are some great online calculators but we highly recommend that students purchase a scientific or graphing calculator because online calculators are not allowed while taking the ACT and SAT.

Even if you are not taking one of those tests for a few years, we recommend you invest in a calculator NOW because there is a specific format you need to use while typing problems into a calculator in order for the calculation to come out correctly. The best way to learn how to use a calculator correctly is to use it a lot in low-stress situations (like homework).

If you decide not to buy a calculator, Web2.0 is a great, free online scientific calculator and Desmos is a great, free online graphing calculator.

Scientific Calculator

We recommend the TI-30X IIS or TI – 30XA scientific calculator (approximately $12), but really any scientific calculator will work for any LAU class.

Graphing Calculator

Graphing calculators are NOT required for LAU classes but if a student is planning on going into anything math-related in college, we recommend they buy a graphing calculator in high school because they will definitely need one in college and graphing calculators have some nice features that can be helpful in high school math.

We recommend any version of the TI-83 or TI-84 calculator (approximately $90).

Do NOT buy a TI-89 if you are planning on taking the ACT test. Using the TI-89 is the most common reason students are dismissed from the ACT for prohibited calculator use. For a list of all prohibited ACT calculators, click here. For the SAT acceptable calculator list, click here.