Grading Practices and High School Class Rank
Cumulative Grade Point Average (GPA)
Beginning with the sixth-grade class of 2021-22 (graduating cohort of 2027-28) and beyond, students who successfully complete a high school credit-bearing course while in middle school will earn the grade and the associated credit for that course on their high school transcript and the grade earned will be computed into the student’s high school cumulative grade point average (GPA). Students will also earn a verified credit for these courses if they pass the corresponding end-of-course SOL test.
For any high school credit-bearing course taken in middle school, a parent/legal guardian may request that the course grade and associated high school credit be omitted from the student’s high school transcript. Such requests shall be made in writing to the principal by June 30 of the school year in which the course was taken. The decision to have a course omitted is binding and no grade or associated credit will be awarded once a request has been granted. If a high school course is omitted from the student’s transcript and the student passes the corresponding SOL test, the student will not be required to retake the SOL test if the student retakes the class as a high school student.
A four-point system, based on quality of achievement, is used in computing GPA for each student.
NOTE: NCAA and/or academic scholarships have specific GPA requirements. See school counselors and/or coaches for details.
The following formula is used to calculate the GPA:
Total QualityPoints* ÷ Total Credits Attempted
*Total Quality Points include an additional .5 quality point earned for any Honors and/or International Baccalaureate Middle Years Program (IBMYP) courses and 1.0 quality point earned for any Advanced Placement (AP), Dual Enrollment, and/or International Baccalaureate Diploma Program (IBDP) courses. This is often referred to as “weighting” courses.
Middle/High School Grading Scale
Points per Grade Unit =
|
Letter Grade |
Percent Grade |
4.0 Scale |
|---|---|---|
|
A+ |
97-100 |
4.0 |
|
A |
93-96 |
4.0 |
|
A- |
90-92 |
3.7 |
|
B+ |
87-89 |
3.3 |
|
B |
83-86 |
3.0 |
|
B- |
80-82 |
2.7 |
|
C+ |
77-79 |
2.3 |
|
C |
73-76 |
2.0 |
|
C- |
70-72 |
1.7 |
|
D+ |
67-69 |
1.3 |
|
D |
65-66 |
1.0 |
|
F |
Below 65 |
0.0 |
|
Withdrawn Failing |
Not counted in the calculation |
|
|
Withdrawn Passing |
Not counted in the calculation |
Definitions as reflected on the transcript:
- Cumulative Added Value = Total Quality Points to include an additional .5 quality point earned for any Honors and/or International Baccalaureate Middle Years Program (IBMYP) courses and 1.0 quality point earned for any Advanced Placement (AP), Dual Enrollment, and/or International Baccalaureate Diploma Program (IBDP) courses. This is often referred to as “weighting” courses.
- Cumulative GPA Unweighted = Total Quality Points without the inclusion of the additional .5 quality point earned for any Honors and/or International Baccalaureate Middle Years Program (IBMYP) courses and 1.0 quality point earned for any Advanced Placement (AP), Dual Enrollment, and/or International Baccalaureate Diploma Program (IBDP) courses.
- Credits Attempted = total standard credits of courses taken whether passed or failed
- Credits Earned = total standard credits of courses passed
- Dropped courses will not appear on the high school transcript under the following circumstances:
- Any year-long courses dropped on or before the end of the first nine-weeks’ grading period.
- Any semester courses dropped on or before the fifth Friday from the first day of school.
- Any semester courses dropped on or before the fifth Friday from the first day of second semester.
- Any courses dropped after the deadlines listed above will result in one of the following on the high school transcript:
- "WP” = (Withdrawn Passing): NOT calculated in student GPA. “WP” appears on transcript in place of grade.
- “WF” = (Withdrawn Failing): NOT calculated in student GPA. “WF” appears on transcript.
Year-long courses may not be dropped after the first Friday in March.
Semester courses may not be dropped after completion of the first nine-weeks’ grading period of either semester.
Contact the school counselor for questions regarding GPA calculations.
Class Rank
For Students who entered ninth grade for the first time prior to 2023 – 2024
Class rank of individual students is completed uniformly by all high schools. Rank in class shall be computed at the end of the student’s junior year and at the end of the first semester of the student’s senior year. Beginning with the 6th grade class of 2021-22 (graduating cohort of 2027-28) and beyond, grades in high school credit-bearing courses taken in middle school will be computed into the high school grade point average (GPA). Students are ranked numerically, in ascending order, according to GPA. Class rank is computed into a percentile with 0% being the highest and 100% being the lowest. Class rank average will be rounded to four decimal places. All students qualifying for a standard diploma or an advanced studies diploma must be included in determining the class rank. Exceptions include students placed in alternative academic environments.
For Students who entered ninth grade for the first time in 2023 – 2024 and thereafter:
Class ranks will not be computed
For additional information, please click on the link for the HCPS Planning Guide.