Graduation Requirements
To graduate and receive a diploma from Leigh High School, students must earn a total of 220 credits and pass the required courses with a grade of D or better.
To ensure all CUHSD graduates have the option to enroll directly into a university and be prepared for a career, the District has aligned its graduation requirements with the University of California (UC) and California State University (CSU) A-G requirements. The A-G / College Entrance Requirements are a sequence of high school courses that students must complete (with a grade of C or better) to be minimally eligible for admission to a UC or CSU. The graduation requirements for Leigh meet or exceed the minimum admissions requirement for a UC or CSU.
This page contains information explaining how credits and requirements work.
School Credits
The school year is divided into two semesters: Fall (August - December) and Spring (January - June). Each course in a semester is worth 5 credits. A typical Freshman year is as follows, totaling 60 credits.
Freshman Year
- 2 semesters of English - 10 credits
- 2 semesters of Math - 10 credits
- 2 semesters of Biology - 10 credits
- 2 semesters of World Languages - 10 credits
- 2 semesters of PE - 10 credits
- 2 semesters of an elective - 10 credits
A students needs to earn a total of 220 credits during their 4 years at Leigh in order to graduate with a diploma from Leigh.
High School Graduation Requirements
Students are required to take the following core subjects: English, Math, Science, Social Science, World Languages, VAPA, and Physical Education. Students are also required to take electives - these are courses outside of the required core curriculum that give students the opportunity to explore specific areas of study they are interested in.
There are two types of electives:
- College approved electives - students can satisfy this graduation requirement by going above and beyond the required graduation courses (such as a 4th year of Social Science, a 4th year of Math, a 4th year of Science, a 3rd year of world language, and/or additional VAPA or CTE above and beyond the required years).
- General electives - these are courses approved for high school graduation but not as a college prep course (two such classes are available at Leigh: AVID Peer Tutoring and Student Assistant).
All courses available at Leigh are listed in the Course Catalog.
Subject |
Years/
Credits Required
|
Social Science
10th Grade: World History
11th Grade: US History
12th Grade: Government
12th Grade: Economics
|
3 years
10
10
5
5
|
English
9th Grade: English
10th Grade: English
11th Grade: English
12th Grade: English
|
4 years
10
10
10
10
|
Math
9th Grade: Math
10th Grade: Math
11th Grade: Math
|
3 years
10
10
10
|
Science
9th Grade: Biology
10th Grade: Chemistry
11th Grade: Physics
|
3 years
10
10
10
|
World Languages
|
2 years
20
|
Visual & Performing Arts (VAPA)
|
1 year
10
|
College Prep Elective
|
1 year
10
|
Physical Education
One year must be 9th Grade
|
2 years
20
|
Select one of:
|
1 year
10
|
College Prep Elective or General Elective
|
2 years
20
|
Total -
220 credits
|
Required for Graduation
- Earn a minimum of 220 credits
- Pass required courses with a grade of D or better
Deficient in Credits
- See your Counselor to create a plan for credit recovery
Progress Reports and Report Cards
- Progress reports are issued at 6 weeks and 12 weeks.
- Semester grades are issued at the end of the semester. These are permanent and are recorded onto transcripts.
- Progress reports and semester grades can be viewed in Aeries.
California University Entrance Requirements (A-G)
The A-G / College Entrance Requirements are a sequence of high school courses that students must complete (with a grade of C or better) to be minimally eligible for admission to the University of California (UC) and California State University (CSU). They represent the basic level of academic preparation that high school students should achieve to undertake university work.
The purposes of the A-G / College Entrance Requirements are to ensure that entering students:
- Can participate fully in the first year program at UC and CSU in a broad variety of fields of study;
- Have attained the necessary preparation for courses, majors, and programs offered at UC and CSU;
- Have attained a body of knowledge that will provide breadth and perspective to new, more advanced studies; and
- Have attained essential critical thinking and study skills.
Below is a comparison of Leigh High School (CUHSD) and UC/CSU requirements. The graduation requirements for Leigh meet or exceed the minimum admissions requirement for a UC or CSU.
A-G | Subject |
CUHSD Requirements
|
UC and CSU
Requirements
|
A
|
Social Science
|
3 years
|
2 years
|
B |
English
|
4 years
|
4 years
|
C |
Math
|
3 years
|
3 years/4 recommended
|
D |
Science
|
3 years
|
2 years/3 recommended
|
E |
World Languages
|
2 years
|
2 years/3 recommended
|
F
|
Visual & Performing Arts (VAPA)
|
1 year
|
1 year
|
G
|
College Prep Elective
|
1 year
|
1 year
|
Additional CUHSD Graduation Requirements:
Physical Education
|
2 years
|
Not required for admission to UC/CSU | |
CTE/VAPA/Applied Arts/Special Programs
|
1 year
|
||
College Prep or General Elective
|
2 years
|