Academic Planning
Palm Desert High School has a proud history of upholding high academic standards and is vested in providing an outstanding education to all students.
Academic Planning
Each student will have an annual academic meeting with their counselor to review their 4-year plan and select courses for the following year. Counselors will make course recommendations based on each student's goals.
Students are expected to enroll in College Preparatory (CP) classes that meet A-G requirements and earn a grade of C or better regardless of post-secondary plans.
Summer school or alternative education will be recommended for students who are credit deficient.
PDHS students should plan to earn a high school diploma by completing the A-G requirements listed below on the left.
DSUSD High School Graduation Requirements
To receive a Diploma of Graduation from Palm Desert High School, a student must pass all classes with a grade of “D” or better, earning a minimum of 220 credits as required by the DSUSD Governing Board.
ENGLISH
40 Credits (4 yrs)
SOCIAL STUDIES
30 Credits (3 Yrs)
World History
US History
US Government (1 Sem)/Economics (1 Sem)
MATH
30 Credits (3 Yrs)
Science
20 Credits (2 Yrs)
Physical Science
Life Science
Fine Art or Language Other Than English
10 Credits (1 Yr)
Physical Education
20 Credits (2 Yrs)
Electives
70 Credits (7 electives)
Electives can come from a combination of A-G and non A-G approved courses
220 Total Credits
College and Career Readiness
"A-G" Requirements
The A-G / College Entrance Requirements are a sequence of high school courses that students must complete with a grade of C or better to be minimally eligible for admission to University of California (UC) and California State University (CSU) campuses.
A
ENGLISH
40 Credits (4 Yrs)
B
SOCIAL STUDIES
20 Credits (2 Yrs)
C
MATH
30 Credits (3 Yrs)
(40 Credits/4 yrs Recommended)
D
Science
20 Credits (2 Yrs)
(30 Credits/3 Yrs Recommended)
E
Language Other Than English
(20 Credits) - Same Language (2 Yrs)
(30 Credits/3 Yrs Recommended)
F
Visual & Performing Arts
10 Credits (1 Yr)
G
College Preparatory Elective
10 Credits (1 Yr)