Graduation Requirements
Graduating from high school is a crucial milestone that sets the stage for your child's future success. It signifies that they have the knowledge and skills to pursue their goals, whether that's entering the workforce, continuing their education, or enlisting in the military. We call Employment, Enrollment and Enlistment our 3 E's.
High school students in Colorado need to meet a few requirements to prove they're ready to graduate: demonstrations of readiness in English and Math, course credits, and community service hours.
Requirements for High School Graduation
Graduation requirements are a road map to help students and their families plan for success after high school. In order to graduate from high school, students must complete the requirements outlined below.
1 Make a Plan, Find a Path
Graduation planning begins with the end in mind. Students should make a plan for post-graduation success and frequently update it. Students must plan to complete the required coursework, electives, and college and career-ready demonstrations.
2 Credit Completion
A minimum of 46 credits are required for graduation
| Subject Area | Required Credits |
|---|---|
| English Language Arts | 8 |
| Math | 6 |
| Science | 6 |
| History | 4 |
| Economics | 1 |
| Political Science | 1 |
| Health | 1 |
| Physical Education | 2 |
| Career & Technical Education | 2 |
| Humanities | 2 |
| Minimum Graduation total | 46 |
3 College and Career Ready Demonstration
Students must complete one measure of college and career readiness in English Language Arts AND one in Math.
Students can mix and match English and Math demonstrations from different categories.
| Assessment | English | Math |
|---|---|---|
| SAT (all students must take the SAT) | 470+ | 500+ |
| Advanced Placement | Eligible AP Courses 2+ | Eligible AP Courses 2+ |
| Concurrent Enrollment College Course | Passing Grade in Eligible College-Level Course | Passing Grade in Eligible College-Level Course |
| **ACT | 18 | 19 |
| Requirement | Description |
|---|---|
| Industry Certificate | Industry certificates fulfill both Math and English demonstrations |
| *Military Service: ASVAB | AFQT Score 31 fulfills both Math and English demonstrations |
4 Community Service
Students must complete 20 hours of community service.
All students graduating from Colorado high schools must meet the stated legislative graduation requirements including a college and career demonstration in Math and English Language Arts (as outlined in Colorado Law).
College & Career Ready: Demonstration Options
Students must complete demonstrations of college and career readiness in English and Math as part of the high school graduation requirements.
Below are course and certificate options for three categories of College & Career Ready demonstrations: Industry Certificates, Concurrent Enrollment college courses, and College Board Advanced Placement courses.
Below are course and certificate options for three categories of College & Career Ready demonstrations: Industry Certificates, Concurrent Enrollment college courses, and College Board Advanced Placement courses.
Entry-Level Professional Industry Certificates
Industry Certificates fulfill both the English and Math demonstration requirements
Certificate of Completion
- High School of Business
- Project Lead The Way Biomedical Science
- Project Lead The Way Computer Science
- Project Lead The Way Engineering
- ProStart I and II
Industry Certificates
- Adobe Certified Professional
- Illustrator, inDesign, Photoshop or Premiere Pro
- American Welding Society D1.1
- Autodesk Certified user in Fusion 360
- Automotive Service Excellence (ASE) Entry Level Certification
- Biotechnology Aptitude and Competency Exam (BACE)
- CompTIA Tech+, A+, Network+, Security+
- Equipment and Engine Training Council Technician
- iCEV Elanco Fundamentals of Animal Science
- Home Builders Institute Pre Apprenticeship Certificate Training (PACT)
- PACT Core + OSHA 10, PACT Carpentry,
PACT Electrical, PACT Landscaping,
PACT Painting or PACT Plumbing
- PACT Core + OSHA 10, PACT Carpentry,
- National Commission for Certifying Agencies (NCCA) Personal Trainer Certification
- National Healthcareer Association Certified EKG Technician (CET)
Industry Certificates continued
- National Healthcareer Association Certified Patient Care Technician/ Assistant CPCT/A
- National Healthcareer Association Certified Phlebotomy Technician (CPT)
- National Restaurant Association ProStart National Certificate of Achievement
- National Restaurant Association ServSafe Manager
Concurrent Enrollment College Courses
English Demonstration
- BUS1015 College Intro to Business
- BUS2017 College Business Communication
- COM1150 College Public Speaking
- ECO2002 College Principles of Microeconomics
- ENG1021 College English Composition I
- ENG1022 College English Composition II
- HIS1220 College U.S. History Since The Civil War
- HIS1310 College Western Civ 1
- HIS1320 Western Civilization Part 1+2
- HUM1003 College Intro to Film Art: AH2
- LIT1015 College Intro to Literature
- LIT2005 Race, Ethnicity, Culture
- POS2020 College Intro Political Science
- PSY1001 College General Psychology I
- PSY1002 College General Psychology II
- SOC1001 College Intro to Sociology
Math Demonstration
- BIO1111 College General Biology I
- ENV1111 College Environmental Science
- MAT1240 College Math for Liberal Arts
- MAT1260 College Intro to Statistics
- MAT1340 College Algebra
- MAT1420 College Trigonometry
- MAT1440 College Pre-Calculus
College Board Advanced Placement Courses
Must score a 2 or above on AP test for a course to fulfill English or Math demonstration.
English Demonstration
- AP Computer Science Principles (must score 3 or higher)
- AP English Language & Composition
- AP English Literature & Composition
- AP Human Geography
- AP U.S. Government and Politics
- AP U.S. History
- AP World History: Modern
Math Demonstration
- AP Biology
- AP Calculus AB
- AP Calculus BC
- AP Chemistry
- AP Computer Science Principles (must score 3 or higher)
- AP Environmental Science
- AP Microeconomics
- AP Physics 1 - Algebra based
- AP Statistics