Graduation Requirements
To graduate from a public high school in Washington state, students must:
- complete a High School and Beyond Plan
- meet at least one graduation pathway
- earn a minimum of 24 credits
If you have specific questions about graduation requirements, please reach out to your school counselor.
Credit Requirements
To graduate, students must complete a total of 24 credits. This framework was designed to be both rigorous and flexible. Courses may only satisfy graduation requirements in one area (except for designated CTE courses that may fulfill requirements in another area). Certain high school graduation credits may be awarded for certain courses taken by students prior to high school entrance. School districts may add additional local graduation requirements on top of the state minimum requirements.
More information about available courses and requirements can be found in our course catalogs.
| Subject Area | Required Credits | Additional Information |
|---|---|---|
| English | 4 | |
| Mathematics | 3 | Algebra 1 or Integrated 1; Geometry or Integrated 2; Algebra 2, Integrated 3 or a third credit of math based on the student's career-orientated high school and beyond plan. |
| Science | 3 | Must include 2 labs |
| Social Studies | 3 | U.S. History (1 credit); Contemporary World History, Geography or equivalent course (0.5 credits); Civics (0.5 credits); Social Studies elective (1 credit); Washington State History (may be taken in middle school) |
| Arts | 2 | 1 credit can be replaced with a Personalized Pathway Requirement |
| Health & Fitness | 2 | Health (0.5 credits) and Fitness (1.5 credits). Health courses include CPR and AED instruction. |
| Career & Technical Education | 1 | Learn more about the CTE courses our district offers. |
| Careers and Financial Literacy | 0.5 | Richland School District requirement. |
| World Languages or Personalized Pathway Requirement | 2 | Both credits can be Personalized Pathway Requirement |
| Electives | 3.5 |
Graduation Pathways
The graduation pathway options provide students with multiple ways to show readiness for their individual education and career goals. The pathway a student completes must align with the student’s post-secondary goals as described in their High School and Beyond Plan.
Pathway Options:
State Assessment: Meet or exceed the graduation scores in the Smarter Balanced Assessments (SBA) in English language arts (ELA) and mathematics or in WA-AIM (Washington Access to Instruction & Measurement).
Dual Credit: Earn at least one high school credit in ELA and at least one high school credit in math in dual credit courses (Running Start, College in the High School, and/or Career and Technical Education dual credit courses).
AP/IB Exams: For both ELA and math, earn a 3 or higher on certain Advanced Placement (AP) exams or a 4 or higher on certain International Baccalaureate (IB) exams or an E on certain Cambridge International exams, or pass the course with at least a C+.
SAT/ACT College Entrance Exams: Meet or exceed the graduation scores set by SBE in the math and ELA portions of the SAT or ACT.
Transition Courses: Pass a transition course in ELA and math (for example, a Bridge to College course) which allows a student to place directly into a credit-bearing college level course.
Performance-Based: A student can demonstrate graduation readiness through real-world experiences like a project, work-related experience, community service, or a cultural activity. This pathway is flexible and personalized to meet the post-graduation goals of students, but whatever way a student decides to show readiness, it must meet state standards and be evaluated with the state developed rubric.
Combination: Meet any combination of at least one ELA and one math option of those pathway options listed here.
Armed Services Vocational Aptitude Battery (ASVAB)*: Meet standard on the ASVAB (Armed Services Vocational Aptitude Battery) by scoring at least the minimum established by the military for eligibility to serve in a branch of the armed services.
Career and Technical Education Course Sequence (CTE)*: Complete a sequence of Career and Technical Education (CTE) courses.
*Note: Students who pursue these pathways (ASVAB or CTE) do not need to meet English and math requirements separately. English and math content are embedded in both pathways—and a student who meets either the ASVAB standard or the CTE pathway requirements has met the graduation pathway requirement.