Smith High was authorized to begin administering the IB Diploma Program by the International Baccalaureate Organization in 2003 and IB students from all six Chesapeake zones feed into it. Up to 60 applicants are accepted each year for the four-year program. Chesapeake Public Schools' pre-IB academy instruction consists of intensified courses in grades 9 and 10 in English, Spanish or French, social studies, science, and mathematics in preparation for the college-level curriculum of the grade 11-12 diploma program. IB students have the opportunity to earn the International Baccalaureate diploma in addition to the Virginia Advanced Studies Diploma.