Academics

GRADUATION REQUIREMENTS

All students must earn 40 credits total to earn a high school diploma. The following areas have specific requirements:

English Language Arts: 4 years X 2 credits a year = 8 credits

Math: 3 years X 2 credits a year = 6 credits (Completion of Algebra 2 is required beginning with the class of 2022)

Science: 3 years X 2 credits a year = 6 credits (1 year each of Earth Science, Life Science [Biology], and Physical Science)

Social Studies: 3 years X 2 credits a year = 6 credits (1 year each of World History & US History, 1 semester each of Economics & Government)

Physical Education: 4 years X 1 credit a year = 4 credits **CPR Certification Required for Graduation. Iowa Law**

Elective Courses: 10 credits

Please see the district program of studies HERE for detailed information on available courses.

COLLEGE PREP RECOMMENDATIONS

Over 80% of all Washington graduates pursue a degree beyond high school. Approximately 50% of graduates matriculate directly to a four-year college. Many begin at a community college and eventually transfer to a four-year institution. A general plan for meeting minimum college entrance requirements is shown below, however reach out to those individual schools as it depends on their program, focus, requirements and classes they accept. Some colleges will have requirements in addition to those listed.

English Language Arts: 4 years

Math: 4 years (Including completion of Algebra 1, Geometry, and Algebra 2)

Science: 4 years (Including completion of 2 years of lab science courses such as Biology, Chemistry, or Physics)

Social Studies: 3 years (Including completion of World History, US History, and Economics & Government)

World Language: 2 years study of 1 language

DROPPING A COURSE

A student may only drop a course with the approval of a responsible adult. Each student dropping a class must do the following:

Meet with their counselor to discuss how the number of hours remaining on your schedule will be spent.

Meet with their teacher and return all books & materials checked out.

Secure signatures from the student's counselor, teacher, attendance office, and parent/guardian.

Additionally, there are 3 deadlines to know about when dropping a course.

If the drop occurs between days 1-10 of the semester, there is no record of the course on the student’s transcript.

If the drop occurs between days 11-45 of the semester, there is a “W” for withdrawal on the student’s transcript. A grade of "W" carries no credit and is not figured into the GPA. The student will be reassigned to study hall or an open hour if they are a senior.

If the drop occurs on day 46 and beyond the student receives a “W” if they are passing the course at the time of the drop or an “F” if they are failing the course at the time of the drop. Students may drop a course up until the week of final exams. The student will be reassigned to study hall or an open hour if they are a senior.

SATISFACTORY / UNSATISFACTORY

A student may choose one elective course per year to be graded on a satisfactory/unsatisfactory basis. The criteria applied to all courses taken as satisfactory/unsatisfactory is as follows: 

Written parental approval is required. 

Students must visit their School Counselor for the satisfactory/unsatisfactory request form. 

Satisfactory/Unsatisfactory requests must be made within 20 school days of the start of the semester. 

Students must complete all course expectations as if they were receiving a grade. Taking a class S/U (or pass/fail) will, at the completion of the semester, record the letter grade as an S with appropriate credit for a passing grade of D- or higher, and a U with no credit for a failing grade. A letter grade will remain on Infinite Campus throughout the duration of the semester and the S/U option will take effect after grades are posted on transcripts.

Courses that are taken as satisfactory/unsatisfactory will not be used to compute grade point and/or class rank nor will they be computed for Academic Honors. 

Students with a failing grade who receive a U will still be subject to activity & athletic eligibility penalties, just as if a grade of F were recorded.

Classes that DO NOT qualify:

Any course required to meet content area graduation requirements (Exception: PE courses MAY be taken pass/fail, even though they fulfill a graduation requirement) 

Advanced Placement courses 

Special Procedure for Co-curricular-related Courses

Students with cumulative grade point averages above 4.0 may choose to take co-curricular-related courses as S/U. Examples include all music, student senate, newspaper, debate, and yearbook courses. 

This use is intended to prevent an A (or even an A+) in a co-curricular-related course from lowering a student’s cumulative GPA. This use of the S/U option will not be counted towards the S/U limit of one course per year. 

This option must also be requested within 20 school days of the start of the semester.

HONORS & AWARDS

Some typical seniors awards include: 4 years of a Science, 4 years of Mathematics, 4 years of Social Studies, 4 years of World Language & more!

DRIVER EDUCATION

The Cedar Rapids Community School District is no longer offering Driver Education classes at the high schools. Students and families can still access quality programs through the community. Additional information can be found in THIS DOCUMENT. Families who are eligible for Free/Reduced Priced fees should contact the company to inquire about how to waive fees.