Graduation Requirements

Graduation requirements are subject to change per MA DESE. 

* Seniors must earn a minimum of 25 credits in their Senior Year to graduate. 

**One unit of PE/Wellness must be in the students' Senior Year

*** A unit is equivalent to a full year course in all disciplines except for Wellness/Physical Ed. One semester satisfies a unit for Wellness/Physical Ed. 

† The four English courses that satisfy this requirement are exclusive of electives. 

†† All students must pass three courses in social studies, one of which must be American History 2. 

††† All students must participate in a Wellness/Physical education course each year per MA state regulations. Students must pass up to four units of Wellness/Physical Education two of which must be comprehensive health courses and two physical education courses. 

Except for Seniors, students will not be allowed to enroll in two required English courses within the same school year. 

Every student must earn a minimum of 124 credits to graduate. Class placement is determined by the number of years that a student has attended high school. Transferring students will have their previous school’s transcript evaluated and graduation will be based upon the same 88% standard.

COMPETENCY DETERMINATION

All students must satisfactorily complete coursework certified by the Mansfield Public Schools as demonstrating mastery of the skills, competencies, and knowledge contained in the state academic standards in English Language Arts, Mathematics, and at least one Science discipline (Biology, Introductory Physics, Chemistry, or Technology/Engineering), as well as any additional areas determined by the Massachusetts Board of Elementary and Secondary Education. Satisfaction of the requirements of the competency determination shall be a condition for high school graduation. 

Students at Mansfield High School will meet the Competency Determination (CD) by successfully completing, by receiving a passing grade, coursework aligned with the Massachusetts Curriculum Frameworks that cover the content of the following courses or higher:

ENGLISH

 • English 9 and English 10 (College Prep or Honors) OR English 9, English 10, and English 11 (Essential College Prep) or the equivalent or higher, as determined by the building Principal or designee

MATH

• Algebra 1 or Algebra 2 (College Prep or Honors); Geometry (College Prep or Honors); OR Math 9, Math 10, Math 11 (Essential College Prep), or the equivalent or higher, as determined by the building Principal or designee 10

SCIENCE- (one of the following)

•  Biology (College Prep, Honors, or Essential College Prep), or the equivalent or higher, as determined by the building Principal or designee

• Chemistry (College Prep or Honors), or the equivalent or higher, as determined by the building Principal or designee

• Introduction to Physics (College Prep or Essential College Prep), or the equivalent or higher, as determined by the building Principal or designee\

Students may also have achieved the Competency Determination by passing the relevant MCAS or through a DESE appeal process, prior to December 2024. 

Students who do not meet the required passing grades in the above prescribed coursework may:

● Enroll in a school-approved summer school course 

● Repeat the course

● Utilize school-based credit recovery courses, when available

These opportunities will provide a student who has yet to meet the CD requirements additional opportunities to meet this standard for graduation. 

For students who have entered the Mansfield Public Schools after the start of grade 9, their transcript and academic records, when available, will be reviewed by the building Principal or designee to determine their competency determination per local and DESE policy.