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| 2022 Tables and Figures | All Years of Tables and Figures | Most Recent Full Issue of the Digest |
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| Table 234.30. | Course credit requirements and exit exam requirements for a standard high school diploma and the use of other high school completion credentials, by state: 2019 |
| State | Course credits (in Carnegie units) | High school exit exams |
Other completion credentials |
|||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Total required credits for standard diploma, all courses |
Required credits in selected subject areas |
Exit exam required for standard diploma |
Advanced recognition for exceeding standard requirements |
|||||||
| English/ language arts |
Social studies |
Science | Mathe- matics |
Other credits |
||||||
| 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | ||
| Alabama | 24.0 | 4.0 | 4.0 | 4.0 | 4.0 | 8.0 | No | No | ||
| Alaska | 13.0 | 4.0 | 3.0 | 2.0 | 3.0 | 1.0 | No | No | ||
| Arizona | 22.0 | 4.0 | 3.0 | 3.0 | 4.0 | 8.0 | No | No | ||
| Arkansas | 22.5 | 4.0 | 3.0 | 3.0 | 4.0 | 8.5 | No | No | ||
| California | 13.0 | 3.0 | 3.0 | 2.0 | 2.0 | 3.0 | No | Yes | ||
Colorado1 |
--- | --- | 0.5 | --- | --- | --- | No | Yes | ||
| Connecticut | 14.0 | 4.0 | 3.0 | 2.0 | 3.0 | 2.0 | No | No | ||
| Delaware | 24.0 | 4.0 | 3.0 | 3.0 | 4.0 | 10.0 | No | No | ||
| District of Columbia | 24.0 | 4.0 | 4.0 | 4.0 | 4.0 | 8.0 | No | No | ||
| Florida | 24.0 | 2 | 4.0 | 3.0 | 3.0 | 4.0 | 10.0 | Yes | 3 | Yes |
Georgia |
23.0 | 4.0 | 3.0 | 4.0 | 4.0 | 8.0 | No | No | ||
| Hawaii | 23.5 | 4.0 | 4.0 | 3.0 | 3.0 | 9.5 | No | Yes | ||
| Idaho | 14.5 | 4.5 | 2.5 | 3.0 | 3.0 | 1.5 | No | Yes | ||
| Illinois | 14.8 | 4.0 | 2.0 | 2.0 | 3.0 | 3.8 | No | No | ||
| Indiana | 20.5 | 4.0 | 3.0 | 3.0 | 3.0 | 7.5 | Yes | Yes | ||
Iowa |
14.0 | 4.0 | 3.0 | 3.0 | 3.0 | 1.0 | No | No | ||
| Kansas | 21.0 | 4.0 | 3.0 | 3.0 | 3.0 | 8.0 | No | No | ||
| Kentucky | 22.0 | 4.0 | 3.0 | 3.0 | 3.0 | 9.0 | No | No | ||
| Louisiana | 24.0 | 4.0 | 4.0 | 4.0 | 4.0 | 8.0 | Yes | No | ||
| Maine | 11.0 | 4.0 | 2.0 | 2.0 | 2.0 | 1.0 | No | No | ||
Maryland |
18.0 | 4.0 | 3.0 | 3.0 | 3.0 | 5.0 | Yes | No | ||
| Massachusetts1 | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | Yes | Yes | ||
| Michigan | 18.0 | 4.0 | 3.0 | 3.0 | 4.0 | 4.0 | No | No | ||
| Minnesota | 21.5 | 4.0 | 3.5 | 3.0 | 3.0 | 8.0 | No | No | ||
| Mississippi | 24.0 | 4.0 | 4.0 | 4.0 | 4.0 | 8.0 | Yes | 3 | Yes | |
Missouri |
24.0 | 4.0 | 3.0 | 3.0 | 3.0 | 11.0 | No | No | ||
| Montana | 13.0 | 4.0 | 2.0 | 2.0 | 2.0 | 3.0 | No | No | ||
| Nebraska | 13.0 | 4.0 | 3.0 | 3.0 | 3.0 | --- | No | No | ||
| Nevada | 22.5 | 4.0 | 2.0 | 2.0 | 3.0 | 11.5 | No | Yes | ||
| New Hampshire | 20.0 | 4.0 | 2.5 | 2.0 | 3.0 | 8.5 | No | No | ||
New Jersey |
19.5 | 4.0 | 3.0 | 3.0 | 3.0 | 6.5 | Yes | 3 | No | |
| New Mexico | 24.0 | 4.0 | 3.5 | 3.0 | 4.0 | 9.5 | Yes | No | ||
| New York | 18.5 | 4.0 | 4.0 | 3.0 | 3.0 | 4.5 | Yes | Yes | ||
| North Carolina | 22.0 | 4.0 | 4.0 | 3.0 | 4.0 | 7.0 | No | Yes | ||
| North Dakota | 22.0 | 4.0 | 3.0 | 3.0 | 3.0 | 9.0 | No | No | ||
Ohio |
20.0 | 4.0 | 3.0 | 3.0 | 4.0 | 6.0 | Yes | 3 | Yes | |
| Oklahoma | 16.0 | 4.0 | 3.0 | 3.0 | 3.0 | 3.0 | No | No | ||
| Oregon | 18.0 | 4.0 | 3.0 | 3.0 | 3.0 | 5.0 | No | No | ||
| Pennsylvania1 | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | No | No | ||
| Rhode Island | 20.0 | 4.0 | 3.0 | 3.0 | 4.0 | 6.0 | No | No | ||
South Carolina |
24.0 | 4.0 | 3.0 | 3.0 | 4.0 | 10.0 | No | Yes | ||
| South Dakota | 21.5 | 4.0 | 3.0 | 3.0 | 3.0 | 8.5 | No | Yes | ||
| Tennessee | 22.0 | 4.0 | 3.0 | 3.0 | 4.0 | 8.0 | No | Yes | ||
| Texas | 22.0 | 4.0 | 3.0 | 3.0 | 3.0 | 9.0 | Yes | Yes | ||
| Utah | 24.0 | 4.0 | 3.0 | 3.0 | 3.0 | 11.0 | No | No | ||
Vermont4 |
--- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | No | No | ||
| Virginia | 21.0 | 4.0 | 3.0 | 3.0 | 3.0 | 8.0 | Yes | 3 | Yes | |
| Washington | 24.0 | 4.0 | 3.0 | 3.0 | 3.0 | 11.0 | Yes | 3 | No | |
| West Virginia | 22.0 | 4.0 | 4.0 | 3.0 | 4.0 | 7.0 | No | No | ||
| Wisconsin | 15.0 | 4.0 | 3.0 | 3.0 | 3.0 | 2.0 | No | Yes | ||
| Wyoming | 13.0 | 4.0 | 3.0 | 3.0 | 3.0 | --- | No | No | ||
| ---Not available. | ||||||||||
| 1 Graduation requirements set at the local level. | ||||||||||
| 2 One of the 24 units must be completed as an online course. | ||||||||||
| 3 Students must pass an exit exam or achieve specified scores on ACT or SAT. | ||||||||||
| 4 Students meet the requirements for graduation when they demonstrate proficiency in the curriculum subjects. | ||||||||||
| NOTE: Unless otherwise noted, graduation requirements are set at the state level. Local school districts frequently have other graduation requirements in addition to state requirements. The Carnegie unit is a standard of measurement that represents one credit for the completion of a 1-year course. | ||||||||||
| SOURCE: Education Commission of the States, What Are the State's Course Requirements for High School Graduation? (February 2019), retrieved May 20, 2021, from https://reports.ecs.org/comparisons/high-school-graduation-requirements-01; What Are the Other Diploma Types Offered by the State? (February 2019), retrieved May 26, 2021, from https://reports.ecs.org/comparisons/high-school-graduation-requirements-04. Education Week, Which States Require an Exam to Graduate? (2019), retrieved May 20, 2021, from https://www.edweek.org/teaching-learning/which-states-require-an-exam-to-graduate. (This table was prepared May 2021.) |
