aheadstart

The most important task to research before organizing your ideal high school roadmap is understanding the requirements. However, high school graduation requirements vary by state. The good thing is that the Education Commission of the States has an article comparing high school graduation requirements between states. Check out their resources here and the state comparisons here. 

Since I’ve spent these past four years of high school in Florida, I am more familiar with the high school requirements here. Starting with the basics, the Florida Department of Education provides “Standard Diploma Requirements,” a checklist of all the credits and assessments you need to obtain your high school diploma. So, let’s get started! 

24-Credit Standard Diploma 

First, you need to know how to earn credits. You earn credits by taking courses at your high school. How many credits you earn depends on the course. Most courses are worth either 1.0 or 0.5 credits. 

Disclaimer: To track my graduation credits, I am using the Miami-Dade County Public Schools Graduation Track Summary. Credits awarded per course may vary by Florida county. Hence, everything in italics corresponds to M-DCPS data. 

You need 24 credits to complete the Standard Diploma:  

1. 4 Credits from 4 English Language Arts (ELA) courses.  

• Courses can be regular, honors, Advanced Placement (AP), AICE, dual enrollment (DE), or International Baccalaureate (IB). 

•  Each ELA course is worth 1 credit. 

      2. 4 Credits from 4 Mathematics courses. 

• Must include: 

  • 1.0 Credit in Algebra 1

  • 1.0 Credit in Geometry 

• Courses can be regular, honors, AP, AICE, DE, or IB. 

• Each Mathematics course is worth 1.0 credit. 

     3. 3 Credits from 3 Science courses.  

• Must include: 

  • 1.0 Credit in Biology 1 

  • 2 Credits with a laboratory component 

• Courses can be regular, honors, AP, AICE, DE, or IB. 

• Each Science course is worth 1.0 credit. 

     4. 3 Credits from 3 Social Studies Courses. 

• 1.0 Credit from a World History course. 

• 1.0 Credit from a United States History course. 

• 0.5 Credit from a United States Government course. 

• 0.5 Credit from an Economics course.  

     5. 1 Credit from either 1 Fine and Performing Arts, Speech and Debate, or Practical Arts course. 

     6. 1 Credit from a Physical Education course.  

• Most P.E. courses are worth 0.5 credits, so you'll need to take two to fulfill this requirement. 

     7. 8 Credits from Elective Courses.  

• These can include: 

  • Foreign language courses 

  • Additional courses in Science, Math, ELA, or P.E. beyond the required credits 

• Example: If you take 4 Science courses but only 3 are required, the extra course counts as an elective. 

Now let’s do the math...... 4 + 4 + 3 + 3 + 1 + 1 + 8 = 24 Credits!  

This may look like a lot, but it is more manageable than you think! As a high school student, you typically take 8 courses per year (8 courses x 4 years = 32 courses in 4 years), giving you plenty of room to meet all the credit requirements. 

Additional Requirements and State Assessments 

To graduate with your high school diploma there are just a few more things you need to do! So, let's keep it simple and make one more list! 

1. You must earn a minimum 2.0 unweighted grade-point average (GPA) out of the 4.0 scale. 

2. Pass the following statewide assessments:  

• You must pass the Grade 10 English Language Arts exam or provide a concordant score! 

• You must pass the Algebra 1 end-of-course (EOC) or provide a comparative score!  

For more information about what score you need to achieve to pass statewide assessments click here. 

With all of that said, congratulations—you are one step closer to graduating high school the right way! Planning ahead is key to ensuring you meet all the requirements without unnecessary stress. If you have any questions or need further guidance, don’t hesitate to contact me. It’s never too early to start planning, so go ahead and get a head start! You’ve got this!  

Sources: 

Solodev. “Graduation Requirements.” Www.fldoe.org, 22 Nov. 2022, www.fldoe.org/schools/k-12-public-schools/sss/graduation-requirements/.  

Anon. 24-Credit Standard Diploma Requirements, Www.fldoe.org,  

https://www.fldoe.org/core/fileparse.php/7764/urlt/aaflyer-prior2324.pdf   

Anon. Graduation Requirements for Florida’s Statewide Assessments, Www.fldoe.org, 2020,  

https://www.fldoe.org/core/fileparse.php/7764/urlt/GradRequireFSA.pdf