SISD GPA & Class Rank 

Important Update: GPA & Class Rank Changes for 2026–27

As outlined in the course catalog, beginning with the 2026–27 school year, the district will transition to a new, unified GPA system that will impact the 2028 cohorts and beyond. This change was developed collaboratively with parents, teachers, counselors, and administrators, and is designed to more fairly and accurately represent every student’s academic achievement. 

Why Are We Making This Change?

Currently, Sunnyvale ISD uses two separate GPA calculations:

• A GPA (used for class rank) that only includes a limited set of courses

• A GPA on a 4.0 scale that includes all courses, but does not reward advanced coursework

This two-GPA approach has created inconsistencies and confusion. Additionally, Texas Senate Bill 1191 requires school districts to align their grade weighting practices with forthcoming guidance from the Texas Commissioner of Education, with the goal of creating greater equity among school districts across the state.

What Is Changing?

The district will consolidate the two existing GPAs into a single, more inclusive GPA system. Here is what that means:

Courses Included in GPA

• All eligible courses taken in grades 9–12 will be included

• Weighted credit will be applied to Honors, Dual Credit (on-campus), and AP courses that were previously weighted. Any new weights will not take effect until 27-28.

• Courses taken before high school (prior to 9th grade) will not count toward GPA

Courses Excluded from GPA

• Online or web-based courses not designed by the district

• Remedial, retake, or tutoring courses

• Local credit courses

• Summer school or correspondence courses

• Courses taken via credit by examination

Grade Weighting Scale

Advanced coursework will be rewarded as follows (select grades): See 26-27 Course guide for full table. 

So, What Courses are Currently Counting in the Ranking GPA and which classes are Weighted?  

For students in the Class of 2027, only the following courses are included in the calculation of the ranking GPA:

• English Language Arts: English I, II, III, and IV; DC English 1301, 1302, and 2321; AP Literature

• Mathematics: Algebra I and II; Geometry; DC Math 1314, 1316, 1342, 2412, and 2413

• Science: Biology; Chemistry; Physics; DC Biology 1406 and 1407; AP Physics 1 and 2

• Social Studies: U.S. History; Government and Economics; DC History 1301 and 1302; DC Government 2305; AP Economics

Of the courses listed above, Honors, Dual Credit, and AP courses receive additional GPA weight according to the weighting table above.

These courses are also outlined in the 24-25 and 25-26 Academic Planning Guides.

Class of 2028 and Beyond

For students in the Class of 2028 and beyond, courses earned prior to the 2026-27 school year were included in the ranking GPA only if they were part of the course list above.

Beginning with courses taken in 2026-27, nearly all courses will count toward the ranking GPA, with the exception of the courses specifically excluded under the new GPA policy.

However, which courses are weighted is a separate issue.

For courses taken prior to the 2027-28 school year, only the following courses receive additional GPA weight for the Class of 2028 and beyond:

• AP, Dual Credit, or Honors English

• Honors Algebra II

• Honors Geometry

• Dual Credit Math

• Honors or Dual Credit Biology

• Honors Chemistry

• Honors or AP Physics

• AP or Dual Credit U.S. History

• Dual Credit Government

• AP Economics

The list of courses that will be weighted for 27-28 will be released prior to Spring Course Selection.  

Why this matters: Operating two GPAs side by side has caused confusion for families. It has also created inequities — some students are not fully recognized for their overall performance, while others may see disproportionate rank outcomes based on which courses count rather than how well they performed overall. The new unified system resolves both issues.

Q3.  Who was involved in developing this new GPA system?

The district convened a GPA Advisory Committee that met multiple times throughout the fall semester, including representation from parents, teachers, campus and district administrators, and counselors. The group reviewed current practices, analyzed models from other districts, and ran multiple GPA calculation scenarios before arriving at this recommendation.

Q5.  Will this change affect my senior’s GPA or class rank?

No. Rising seniors (Class of 2027) are completely unaffected. They will graduate under the existing system with no changes to their GPA or class rank.

Q6.  My child is a 9th-11th grader. When will the new GPA take effect?

Course weighting will transition separately. For 2026–27, existing course weights remain unchanged. Beginning in 2027–28, the new weighting scale will apply only to credits earned in 2027–28 and beyond. Credits earned in prior years will not be reweighted. 

Q7.  Will my child’s GPA be higher or lower under the new system?

Students who take a broad range of courses beyond the limited set counted under the old official GPA may see their GPA more accurately reflect their overall performance. Students in AP, Dual Credit, or Honors courses will continue to receive weighted credit. The new system is designed to reduce distortion at the top and bottom of the class rank. All students will be impacted equitably.

Q9.  Does this affect my child’s chances for automatic college admission in Texas?

Class rank is used for automatic admission at Texas public universities under state law. The new GPA system will still produce a class rank. Local graduation honor eligibility criteria apply for local recognition only and do not restrict class rank for the purpose of automatic admission.

Q10.  How does this affect valedictorian and salutatorian eligibility?

Valedictorian and salutatorian will continue to be the students with the highest and second-highest class rank. To be eligible, a student must:

• Have been continuously enrolled in the district high school from the first day of the second grading period of the fourth semester immediately preceding graduation, and

• Have completed the foundation program with the distinguished level of achievement.

Q11.  Do electives and non-core classes now count toward GPA?

Yes — this is one of the most significant changes. Under the unified GPA system, all eligible courses taken in grades 9–12 are included in the GPA calculation, not just English, math, science, and social studies. Including a previously earned course in the GPA does not mean the course will be assigned a new weight. Each credit retains the weighting that applied when the credit was earned.

Q12.  What courses are excluded from the new GPA?

The following course types will not count toward GPA:

• Online or web-based courses not designed or offered by the district

• Dual credit courses not taken on the district campus

• Remedial, tutoring, or assigned remediation courses

• Local credit courses

• Summer school or correspondence courses

• Courses taken through credit by examination (with or without prior instruction)

• High school credit earned before 9th grade (middle school credits)

Q13.  What happens if my child retakes a course to improve their grade?

If a student retakes a course after already earning a passing grade, the retaken course will not be included in the GPA calculation. However, both the original grade and the retaken grade will still appear on the official transcript. Failing grades are still included in the GPA calculation.

Q14.  My child transferred from another school. How will their credits be handled?

Transferred courses that qualify under the On Level category will be included in class rank if the district has accepted the credit. Transferred courses that would qualify for additional weight (Honors, AP, Dual Credit) will receive that weighted credit only if an equivalent course is offered to the same graduating class at Sunnyvale ISD.

Q15.  Will the weighting scale change in future years?

Beginning in 2027–28, as part of the State Commissioner’s plan to standardize GPA, all AP courses and non-CTE dual credit courses will receive equal weights. CTE dual credit and Honors courses will receive a lower weight.  The new weights will not be applied retroactively. Credits earned before the 2027–28 school year will retain the weight assigned at the time the credit was earned. This allows students to make course-selection decisions with advance knowledge of how courses will be weighted. 

Q16.  Will the weight of any courses change for 26-27?  

No.  For 26-27, the weight of grades does not change.  In other words, if a course was weighted in 25-26, it will continue to be weighted the same.  If a course was not weighted, it will not be weighted.  All weight changes occur in 27-28.  

Q17. Will courses my child has already completed be recalculated when the new weighting scale begins in 2027–28?

No. Course weights will not be changed retroactively. A credit earned before the 2027–28 school year will retain the weight that was in place when the student earned the credit.

Beginning in 2027–28, only newly earned credits will receive the new course weights. This phased approach provides students and families advance notice of the change and allows students to consider course weighting when making future course selections.

Example: If a student completes a course in 2026–27, that course will retain the 2026–27 weight for the remainder of the student’s high school career. Courses the student completes beginning in 2027–28 will receive the weighting established for 2027–28 and beyond.

For more information, please email courtney.sharkey@sunnyvaleisd.com.