Policy 2700P - Minimum Graduation Requirements

Minimum Graduation Requirements

Prior to registering for high school, each student will be provided with a copy of the current graduation requirements. Graduation requirements shall also be included in the student handbook. 
 
Credits 
 
Students shall be expected to earn a total of 52 credits (Note: Starting with the class of 2028, a minimum of 46 semester credits is required to complete graduation requirements). One credit shall be equal to 60 hours of instruction. Special education students who have successfully completed their IEP leading to completion of high school will be awarded a diploma. 

Dual credit engineering and computer science courses aligned to the state standards for grades 9 through 12 may also be counted as mathematics.  
 
*Students who choose to take computer science or engineering courses may not concurrently count such courses as both a mathematics and science credit 

[NOTE: SCHOOLS SHOULD NOT CHARGE A FEE FOR ANY FOR-CREDIT ACTIVITIES, INCLUDING SPORTS IF THE SCHOOL GRANTS CREDIT FOR SPORTS PARTICIPATION IN LIEU OF COMPLETING A PE CLASS. 
 
Additionally, Students participating in one season in any sport recognized by the Idaho High School Activities Association or club sport recognized by RISE Charter School, or 18 weeks of a sport recognized by RISE Charter School may choose to substitute participation for up to one credit of physical education. (See Policy 2315B). 

Middle School Credit 
  

If a middle school student completes any required high school course with a grade of C or higher before entering the 9th grade, and if that course meets the same standards that are required in high school and the course is taught by a teacher certified to teach high school content, then the student has met the high school content area requirement for that course. The student shall be given a grade for the successful completion of that course and their grade, and the number of credit hours assigned to the course shall be transferred to the student's high school transcript. The student's parent/guardian shall be notified in advance when credits are going to be transcribed. However, the student’s parent/guardian may elect to not have the credits and grade transferred to the student's high school transcript. The student still must complete the required number of credits in all high school core subjects identified above. 
  

Future Readiness Project 
 
Beginning with the class of 2028, a student shall complete a Future Readiness Project by the end of grade 12. Future Readiness Projects are an individualized student project and shall include an experiential component, such as a work-based, service-based, research-based, or portfolio-based experience in which the student demonstrates acquisition of the Idaho College and Career Competencies adopted by the Idaho State Board of Education. The project does not have to be a course and can be completed throughout a student's high school experience. The project may be accomplished through apprenticeships, internships, volunteer work, and extracurricular activities related to real-world skills acquisition. 
  

The class of 2026 and 2027 shall complete the Future Readiness Project by completing a senior project that includes a research paper and oral presentation by the end of grade 12. Senior projects may be multi-year projects, group or individual projects, or approved pre-internship or school to work internship programs at the discretion of the School. The project must include elements of research, development of a thesis using experiential learning or integrated project-based learning experiences, and a presentation of the outcome. Additional requirements for the senior project are at the discretion of the School. 
  

Completion of a post-secondary certificate or degree at the time of high school graduation or an approved pre-internship or internship program may be used to satisfy this requirement. 
  

Localized pathway 
  

The Board directs the Executive Director to establish and post on the School website two localized pathways by June 30, 2026. Each pathway will be a framework of locally provided offerings that identify core and elective credits, assessments, and other opportunities aligned to post-secondary outcomes.  
 
Civics Test 
 
All secondary students must successfully pass the civics test or alternate path. In this policy, "civics test" means the 100 questions used by officers of the United States citizenship and immigration services as a basis for selecting the questions posed to applicants for naturalization until the beginning in the 2026-2027 school year. Starting at that time, the Charter School will instead administer the new civics test adopted by the State Board of Education.   
 
Any student who participates in a United States Government and Politics course and an associated college credit-bearing examination shall be deemed to have met this requirement.  
 
RISE Charter School will determine the method and manner in which to administer the civics test. A student may take the civics test at any time after enrolling in grade 7 and may repeat the test as often as necessary to pass the test. The School will document on the student's transcript that the student has passed the civics test.  
  

The applicability of this requirement for students who receive special education services will be governed by the student’s Individualized Education Plan (IEP). 
  

Waiver of Requirement 
  

Graduation requirements generally will not be waived except as outlined in the Early Achievement of College/Career Readiness and Flexible Schedule portion of this policy. However, in rare and unique hardship circumstances, the Executive Director may approve minor deviation from the graduation requirements. 
  

Alternative Programs 
 

Credit toward graduation requirements may be granted for planned learning experiences from accredited programs. Possible examples include summer school, university courses, correspondence courses, online/virtual courses, career-technical courses, work-based learning opportunities, extended learning opportunities, and mastery-based education.  
 
Credit for work experience may be offered when the work program is a part of and supervised by RISE Charter School and, in the case of activities awarding credit for core academic courses, meets the required Idaho Content Standards. 
 
All classes attempted at RISE Charter School and all acceptable transfer credits shall be recorded on the transcript. All grades earned, including failures and retakes, shall be recorded as such and utilized in the calculation of Grade Point Average and class rank. Credit shall be awarded only once, regardless of repetition of the course. 
 
Honor Roll 
 
A student must have a minimum grade-point average of 3.5 to be placed on the honor roll. Specific information regarding honors at graduation is included in the student handbook. 
 
Class Rank (Grade Point Average) 
 
Class ranks are compiled from course grades. Courses not eligible for inclusion when calculating the GPA, such as pass/fail courses, are designated with an asterisk on the report card. 

Cross References 

Policy History: 
Adopted on:  
Revised on: December 15, 2025 
Reviewed on: