Graduation Requirements
Foreign Exchange students may be eligible to earn a diploma from Arlington High School if they attend a full year as a senior and meet the school and state requirements by the end of the year. If an exchange student is interested in seeking a diploma, he/she should make a request in writing and e-mail it to Mrs. Mary Villano (mvillano@arlington.k12.ma.us) as early in the process as possible. Transcripts will be reviewed to determine potential eligibility and to plan appropriate course selection for the school year.
**** Beginning in September, 2015, there will be a fee of $1000.00 for any student wishing to receive a diploma from Arlington High School.
To be eligible for a diploma, students must complete a total of 106 credits with most courses counting as five credits. The following high school courses must be included in the 106 credits.
4 years of English
3 years on Math
3 years Science
3 years of History/Social Studies including one year of US History.
1 year of Art or Music
4 years of Physical Education
2 years of a World Language
40 hours of community service (These hours can be earned at Arlington High)
All students must also pass three MCAS (state exams) to earn a diploma including English, Math and Science. Foreign Exchange students will have several opportunities to take the tests during the year. Once they have passed, they will not need to retake the exam. The schedule of exams are as follows:
Math November, March, May
English Language Arts November, March
Science February Biology only
**** June Biology, Chemistry, Physical Science, Engineering ***
*** Students who take the Science exam in June will not receive their diploma at graduation. Results from these tests are not available until late summer or early fall. If students pass June exams and have met all other graduation requirements, they will be issued their diploma in the fall.
For more information on the MCAS exams please go to the Massachusetts Department of Education website. You will also be able to download practice questions for all exams.