Graduation Requirements

Course requirements for graduation

Students must earn 22 units of credit or more in grades 9-12 in order to graduate. 

  • Pass four (4) years of English – 4 credits

  • Pass four (4) years of Social Studies – 4 credits

  • Pass three (3) years of Math – 3 credits

  • Pass three (3) years of Science –  3 credits

  • Pass one (1) year of  Foreign Language (Spanish or Chinese) – 1 credit

  • Pass one half (1/2) year of Health – 0.5 credit

  • Pass one (1) unit of Fine Arts (Art, Music, or other (see below) – 1 credit

  • Pass four (4) years of Physical Education (1/2 credit each year) – 2 credits

  • Pass three (3) Elective Courses – 3.5 credits

(Fine Arts Requirements may also be met by taking: Studio Art, Design and Drawing for Production, Fashion and Interior Design, and Performance Theatre)

Required course breakdown

In addition to these required courses, students planning their course selections must select additional credits from the elective courses available each year. The total number of credits must be at least 6.5 credits. Students may select more if they wish.

(R) = Regents exam

Required Courses – Grade 9

  • English 9 – 1 credit

  • Global History and Geography 1 – 1 credit

  • Basic Algebra OR Integrated Algebra (R) – 1 credit

  • Living Environment (R) – 1 credit

  • Spanish I or Chinese 9 – 1 credit

  • Physical Education 9/10 – 0.5 credit

Required Courses – Grade 10

  • English 10 – 1 credit

  • Global History and Geography 2 (R) – 1 credit

  • Integrated Algebra 10 (R) OR Geometry(R)  – 1 credit

  • Earth Science (R) – 1 credit

  • Health – 0.5 credit

  • Physical Education 9/10 – 0.5 credit

Required Courses – Grade 11

  • English 11 (R) – 1 credit

  • US History and Government (R) – 1 credit

  • (A Third Year of Math) – 1 credit

  • (A Third Year of Science) – 1 credit

  • Physical Education 11/12 – 0.5 credit

Required Courses – Grade 12

  • English 12 – 1 credit

  • Economics 12 – 0.5 credit

  • Participation in Government 12 – 0.5 credit

  • Physical Education 11/12 – 0.5 credit

New York State Regents examination requirement for graduation

Regents Diploma

  • Five required Regents exams with a score of 65 or better as follows:

    • Math (1)

    • Science (1)

    • ELA

    • Global History and Geography

    • US History and Government

 Advanced Regents Diploma

  • Eight requred Regents exams with a score of 65 or better as follows:

    • Math (3)

    • Science (2)

    • ELA

    • Global History and Geography

    • US History and Government

    • Either a locally developed Checkpoint B LOTE examination or a 5 unit sequence in the Arts or CTE

Regents Diploma with Honors or Advanced Regents Diploma with Honors

  • A student may earn a Regents Diploma with Honors if they score an average of 90 or above on the 5 Regents exams needed for a Regents Diploma.

  • A student may earn an Advanced Designation Diploma with Honors if the student achieves an average of 90% in all 8 Regents needed for an Advanced Designation Regents Diploma.

*Note: Each Regents grade is averaged at the same weight of one, and scores below 90.0 shall not be rounded upward to 90% (Source: New York State Education Department)

Regents Diploma with Advanced Designation with an annotation that denotes Mastery in Math

  • Meets all assessment requirements for the Regents with Advanced Designation and, in addition, scores 85 or better on each of 3 Regents Examinations in Mathematics.

Regents Diploma with Advanced Designation with an annotation that denotes Mastery in Science

  • Meets all assessment requirements for the Regents with Advanced Designation and, in addition, scores 85 or better on each of 3 Regents Examinations in Science.

Local Diploma (Students with Disabilities with an IEP or Section 504 Accommodation Plan)

  • Low Pass Safety Net Option 1: 5 required Regents exams with a score of 55 or better as follows:

    • Math (1)

    • Science (1)

    • ELA

    • Global History and Geography (1)

    • US History and Government (1)

  • Compensatory Safety Net Option: Scores between 45-54 on one or more of the five required Regents exams, other than the English Language Arts (ELA) or mathematics exam, but compensates the low score with a score of 65 or higher on another required Regents exam.

    • A score of at least 55 must be earned on both the ELA and mathematics exams.

    • A score of 65 or higher on a single examination may not be used to compensate for more than one examination for which a score of 45-54 is earned.