Ninth Grade Frequently Asked Questions

What is the difference between weighted and unweighted GPA? Which one does a college look at? What is class rank?

All classes count in high school – you will earn a credit for each class you take. Every final grade a student earns in a course is assigned a quality point based on the chart below. Your grade point average is a cumulative average of all of the quality points you have earned in high school.

Number Grade      Standard    Honors      AP/RCCC courses

   90-100                       4              4.5             5

   80-89                         3              3.5             4

   70-79                          2              2.5             3

   60-69                         1               1.5              2

    0-59                          0               0               0

Weighted GPA takes into account weighted grades that are awarded in Honors and AP level courses. An unweighted GPA is calculated as if Honors and AP courses do not receive any extra quality points (all classes on a 0-4 scale). Most colleges will look at your weighted GPA first, and weighted GPA is used to determine class rank. Class rank compares your weighted GPA to that of everyone else’s in your graduating class. GPA and rank are re-calculated twice a year, near the beginning of fall semester and at the end of the school year.

I took Spanish/Math I/English 1 in middle school. Does that count as a credit?

Yes. If you took a high school course for credit in 8th grade, it fulfills that graduation requirement and counts as one high school credit. However, those grades do not get calculated into high school GPA.

I thought world languages were required to graduate?

Students are not required to take two units of a world language to graduate from high school. However, most colleges and universities, including all UNC system schools, do require two units of a world language to be considered for admission, so we recommend that students who are interested in college take at least two world language credits.

What are the requirements to get into XXX college/university?

Any student who is given a NC high school diploma will have met the minimum course requirements for the UNC system public colleges. It is very important that as you begin to explore other schools,  pay attention to their admission requirements and plan accordingly throughout high school. All states have different requirements, as do many private universities.

What is a good medical school/law school/college for theatre/college for biomedical engineering, etc? What college should I go to? What can I do now to get ready for college?

There are so many colleges to choose from, and so many factors to keep in mind: size, location, cost, programs, admissions requirements… The most important thing as a freshman and sophomore is to work hard in your courses and keep your grades up. We also encourage all students to get involved outside of the school day – whether it is sports, clubs, a job, community service or internships.  This will ensure that as you get close to applying for colleges, you have lots of options.

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