These requirements are in effect for students graduating on or before the Class of 2020. All students are required to complete a specific number of courses in order to graduate.
To be considered a senior, the student must have a minimum of 180 credit hours. Students can earn up to 70 credits in any given year by taking a full schedule of classes. Thus, if a student falls behind on credits in their freshmen, sophomore or junior year, they could still graduate on time by successfully completing 70 or more credit hours their senior year.
24 units of study (240 semester hours) are required in grades 9, 10, 11 and 12 in the following content areas:
4 units minimum including:
- 1 unit of English 1
- 1 unit of English 2
- 1 unit of upper division writing academic elective or World Literature 1 & 2
- 1 unit of other upper division language arts credit
- Note: ELA 2 Reading/Reading or an ELD Seminar, taken for an entire year, can meet the upper division language arts requirement
3 units required, including:
- 1 unit in U.S. History
- ½ unit in Civics
- 1.5 units of other Social Studies credit
3 units required, including:
- At least 2 units from Earth Science, Biology, Chemistry or Physics
4 units to be completed while in high school, including:
- 1 unit of Algebra I or its integrated equivalent
- 1 unit of Geometry or its integrated equivalent
- 1 unit of Algebra II or its integrated equivalent
- 1 unit of upper-level math from an approved course list are required
1 unit of either Physical Education (PE), Dance, Junior Reserve Officers Training Corps (JROTC) or DPS Athletics required
1 unit required in Art, Music, Drama or Career and Technical Education
Student must earn 8 units of electives, of which 2 units may be community service and service learning.
22 of the 24 units required to earn a diploma must be earned in classroom-based instruction. Students may earn and apply a maximum of twenty semester hours (2 units) of community service and/or service learning experience, approved by the school, toward graduation requirements. These experiences may include, but are not limited to, field or service experiences, work experiences, volunteering with community organizations and internships.
Some students may need more time to complete the requirements and it is okay to stretch their path to graduation to a fifth or sixth year (up to age 21).
