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Graduation Requirements

Click HERE to view/download/print the current graduation requirements on the DCSD Website.

Douglas County School District Graduation Requirements

The Douglas County School District is committed to ensuring that every student is college and career ready. Beginning with the Class of 2022, students must meet four requirements in order to graduate and receive a high school diploma.

1. Create an Academic Plan

Students will create and complete an Individual Career and Academic Plan (ICAP) and/or Individualized Education Plan (IEP) that meets the District’s graduation requirements.

2. Earn 24 Credits

Students must satisfy all of the following requirements:

a. 16 Credits in the following CORE Curricular Areas as follows

Language Arts 4.0
Mathematics 3.0*
Science 3.0
Social Studies 3.0 **
Practical Arts 1.0
Fine Arts 1.0
Physical Education 1.0

b. 8 Credits in Electives

*Must include a minimum of Algebra 1 as one of the 3.0 credits;

**Must include 1.0 credit of US or World History and 0.5 credits of American Government

3. Perform Community Service

Students must document a minimum of twenty hours community service while enrolled as a high school student. All community service hours are due the quarter prior to a student’s graduation. See the Community Service link under the Academic Counseling Tab (at the top of this page) for more details and community service opportunities: Community Service

4. Demonstrate competence in Reading, Writing, Communicating and Math

Beginning with the class of 2022, in addition to satisfying the district's graduation requirements listed above, district students will also be required to demonstrate college and career readiness via one of the approved methods outlined in the chart below in order to receive a diploma from a district school.

Students must provide documentation of meeting or exceeding the required level of readiness in both Mathematics and English through one of the following:

***All D.C. Oakes students completing their coursework in person will complete a "District Capstone" project during their Professional Business class. If passed, this project will meet this graduation requirement.

New SAT Math Score 2024 to 2026

At their September 2024 meeting, the Colorado State Board of Education voted to temporarily adjust the math cut scores on the Menu of Options for students graduating in 2024-25 and 2025-26.

In the spring of 2024, College Board, the company that administers the SAT, introduced a new format for the test, which impacted performance for juniors who took the test in April. In the summer of 2024, the assessment and pathways teams at CDE communicated with the State Board about the impact of this new SAT format for students in Colorado and around the nation.

The Board's adjustment means that students who graduate in the 2024-25 or 2025-26 school years and take the new digital SAT will meet graduation competencies by meeting these Graduation Guidelines cut scores for SAT:

During the next two years, CDE staff will work with the Colorado Department of Higher Education and the Colorado Commission for Higher Education to make sure that SAT scores for the new, digital SAT test are aligned with placement levels and developmental policies at four-year colleges. The temporary score of 480 in Math will be reevaluated by the Board for 2025-26 graduates and beyond.

The SAT is not the only option available to students to demonstrate postsecondary and workforce readiness. Local school boards can select from the 11 measures on the Graduation Guidelines Menu of Options to incorporate into their local graduation requirements for students to chose from. Technical information regarding Graduation Guidelines data reporting is posted on the Student End of Year and Student Interchange websites.

For more information, please refer to the State Board's website and the press release, or contact Michelle Romero or Robin Russel in the Office of Postsecondary & Workforce Readiness.

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