Graduation Requirements
HB5 Graduation Requirements
Texas
High School Graduation Requirements
ASSESSMENT AND GRADUATION INFORMATION
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State Graduation Requirements
This site provides information about Texas high school graduation requirements.
House Bill 5: Foundation High School Program
The new Foundation High School Program became the default graduation program for all students entering ninth grade beginning with the 2014-2015 school year. Additional information about the Foundation High School Program is provided on the House Bill 5: Foundation High School Program webpage.
Graduation Programs
Students who entered high school before the 2014-2015 school year have the option to graduate under the new Foundation High School Program or the existing Minimum High School Program (MHSP), Recommended High School Program (RHSP), or Distinguished Achievement Program (DAP). Information on all current graduation programs available at the links below:
The following resources provide additional information related to state graduation:
Official State Board of Education Administrative Rules Regarding Graduation Requirements
The State Board of Education (SBOE) has authority over graduation requirements for Texas public school students. To access SBOE rules on graduation, select from the following:
Graduation Requirements for Students Entering Grade 9 in 2012-13 and thereafter
High School Endorsements and Career Pathways
High school endorsements consist of a related series of courses that are grouped together by interest or skill set. They provide students with in-depth knowledge of a subject area. Students must select an endorsement in the ninth grade.
Learn About the 5 Endorsements Here(Opens in a new window)
Students can choose from five endorsement areas:
Science, Technology, Engineering, and mathematics (STEM)
Business and Industry
Public Service
Arts and Humanities
Multi-Disciplinary Studies
Which endorsement is best for your future career?
The Texas Workforce Commission can help you pick!
At this webpage, you can learn about the five major endorsement areas of the Foundation Graduation Program—and which jobs they lead to.
For each endorsement, you'll learn:
The types of jobs you can get—including some you've never heard of
What to study after high school and/or in college
Career pathways for high school students
How much money you can expect to make!
And of course, you'll learn which courses to take now—in high school—to complete each endorsement.
http://www.lmci.state.tx.us/shared/FHSEB/FHSEB.asp
*This information is taken from the Texas Workforce Commission website.
Foundation Program requirements
All students entering high school must enroll in the courses necessary to graduate under the Foundation Program and the courses necessary to earn at least one endorsement. Though the State Board of Education rules no longer require students to earn a speech communications credit, they do require that, to receive a high school diploma, each student must demonstrate proficiency in the major components of speech, including delivering clear verbal messages and applying valid critical thinking and problem-solving processes.
English — four credits: Students must earn credits in English I, English II and English III. The fourth credit may be chosen from a list of approved courses.
Math — three credits: Students must earn credits in Algebra I and Geometry. The third credit may be chosen from a list of approved courses that includes Algebra II, Statistics and many CTE courses.
Science — three credits: Students must earn one credit in Biology, AP Biology or IB Biology. The other two credits may be selected from a list of approved courses that includes Chemistry, Physics and many CTE courses.
Social studies — three credits: Students must earn credits in U.S. History Since 1877 (one credit), U.S. Government (one-half credit) and Economics (one-half credit). The third credit may be chosen from World History or World Geography.
Languages other than English — two credits: These credits may be earned in any two levels of the same language or two credits in computer programming languages selected from Computer Science I, II and III (if those credits are earned prior to Sept. 1, 2016). Upon completion of the first credit, if the student demonstrates an unlikelihood of completing the second credit, the student may substitute Special Topics on Language and Culture, World History or World Geography if there is no local district requirement for their completion; computer programming languages; or another credit listed for languages other than English.
Physical education — one credit: Students are required to earn one credit in PE. They may do so by participating in a private or commercially sponsored physical activity program offered on or off a school campus and outside of the regular school day, if approved by the commissioner of education. PE credit also may be earned through participation in athletics, JROTC, drill team, marching band or cheerleading. Students unable to participate in physical activity due to a disability or illness may substitute an academic elective credit or a course or activity offered by a school district that is developed with an institute of higher education and local business that will allow students to enter a career or technology training program in the region, an institute of higher learning without remediation, an apprenticeship training program, or an internship required as part of accreditation toward an industry-recognized certificate.
Fine arts — one credit: Students must earn one fine arts credit. They may earn it in a traditional fine arts course or in a course such as Digital Art and Animation or 3-D Modeling and Animation or other approved courses.
Electives — five credits: These credits must be selected from an SBOE-approved list or from a locally developed course or activity that does not satisfy a specific course graduation requirement.
Endorsements
Entering ninth-graders must choose and specify in writing which endorsement they intend to earn. A student may graduate under the Foundation Program without earning an endorsement only if, after the student’s sophomore year, the school counselor has informed the student and the student’s parent of the benefits of graduating with an endorsement and the parent then gives the counselor written permission (on a form adopted by the Texas Education Agency) for the student to graduate without earning one.
To earn an endorsement, a student must earn at least 26 credits. School districts may define advanced courses and a coherent sequence of courses for an endorsement area. All endorsements require students to earn a fourth math and science credit. The fourth math or science credit may be a college preparatory math course developed and offered pursuant to TEC §28.014. A student may not earn science credit in both Physics and Principles of Technology.
A student must earn two additional elective credits to earn an endorsement. Each endorsement also has its own specific requirements.
School districts and campuses are not required to offer all of the endorsements outlined below. If districts choose to offer only one endorsement it must be the Multidisciplinary Studies endorsement.
Science, technology, engineering and mathematics endorsement
STEM is the only endorsement that requires Algebra II, Chemistry and Physics. A student pursuing a STEM endorsement must complete all other foundation graduation requirements and either:
A coherent sequence of four or more CTE credits, including at least one advanced CTE course, and a course that is the third level or higher course in a sequence; or
A coherent sequence of four credits in computer science selected from an approved list; or
Four credits in mathematics by completing Algebra I, Geometry, Algebra II and two additional math credits for which Algebra II is a prerequisite; or
Four credits in science by completing Chemistry, Physics and two additional science courses; or
Algebra II, Chemistry, Physics and a coherent sequence of three additional credits from no more than two disciplines represented by the options listed above.
Business and industry endorsement
A student earning a business and industry endorsement must complete all graduation requirements plus either:
A coherent sequence of courses for four or more CTE credits that includes at least two courses in the same career cluster, and an advanced CTE course. The courses may be selected from a list of career development or CTE innovative courses approved by the commissioner of education, but the final course in the sequence must be obtained from one of the career clusters relating to: Agriculture, Food, and Natural Resources; Architecture and Construction; Arts, Audio/Video Technology, and Communications; Business Management and Administration; Finance; Hospitality and Tourism; Information Technology; Manufacturing; Marketing; Transportation, Distribution, and Logistics; Career Prep I or II and Problems and Solutions if the course addresses a career from a field listed above; or
Four English elective credits to include three levels in public speaking, debate, advanced broadcast journalism, advanced newspaper journalism, or advanced yearbook journalism; or
Four technology applications credits to be selected from a list; or
A coherent sequence of four credits from the above options.
Public services endorsement
A student earning a public services endorsement must complete all other graduation requirements and either:
A coherent sequence of four or more credits in CTE with at least two credits from the same career cluster, and at least one advanced CTE course, which includes any course that is the third or higher course in a sequence. The final course must be obtained from a CTE career cluster relating to Education and Training; Government and Public Administration; Health Science; Human Services; or Law, Public Safety, Corrections, and Security); Career Prep I or II and Problems and Solutions if the course addresses a career from a field listed above; or
Four courses in JROTC.
Arts and humanities endorsement
A student earning an arts and humanities endorsement must complete all other graduation requirements and either:
Five social studies courses; or
Four levels of the same language other than English; or
Two levels of the same language other than English and two levels of a different language in languages other than English; or
Four levels of American Sign Language; or
A coherent sequence of four credits, selecting courses from one or two categories or disciplines in fine arts or innovative courses approved by the commissioner; or
Four English elective credits from an approved list.
Multidisciplinary studies endorsement
A student earning a multidisciplinary studies endorsement must complete all other graduation requirements and either:
Four advanced courses that prepare a student to successfully enter the workforce or postsecondary education without remediation from within one endorsement area or among multiple endorsement areas that are not in a coherent sequence; or
Four credits in each of the four foundation subject areas to include English IV and Chemistry and/or Physics; or
Four credits in Advanced Placement, International Baccalaureate, or dual credit selected from English, math, science, social studies, economics, languages other than English, or fine arts.
Performance acknowledgements and Distinguished Level of Achievement
A student can earn performance acknowledgements in several different areas including:
outstanding performance in a dual-credit course
outstanding performance in bilingualism and biliteracy
outstanding performance on a College Board Advanced Placement test or International Baccalauereate exam
outstanding performance on the PSAT, ACT-PLAN, the SAT, or the ACT; or earning a nationally or internationally recognized business or industry certification or license.
The performance acknowledgement will be noted on the student’s transcript.
The requirements for the distinguished level of achievement are the same requirements to be eligible for admission to a public Texas university under the automatic top 10 percent law.
To earn this distinguished level of performance, a student must successfully complete four credits in math, including Algebra II; four credits in science; and the remaining graduation requirements; and earn at least one more endorsement.
*information taken from TCTA.org
Additional Resources
Texas High School Graduation Requirements Explained
Graduation_Toolkit_2020 English Website.pdf