9th to 12th Grade (High School)

WASHBURN SCHOOL
High School Graduation Requirements
TOTAL ENGLISH-IMMERSION · PK–12 COLLEGE-PREPARATORY INSTITUTION · EFFECTIVE 2026–2027

One credit is equivalent to a full-year course that meets daily from August to May.

GRADUATION MINIMUM: 28 CREDITS + 80 HOURS OF COMMUNITY SERVICE

CREDIT DISTRIBUTION

SUBJECT AREA	CREDITS	REQUIRED / INCLUDED COURSES
English	4	American, British, and World Literature (Grades 9–12)
Spanish	4*	or one credit per year of enrollment. Continental Spanish track for students with limited Spanish proficiency. Students with limited Spanish proficiency who have lived in Puerto Rico for two (2) years or fewer may enroll in the Continental Spanish track. Beginning in their third (3rd) year of residency in Puerto Rico, students are required to enroll in the regular (native-track) Spanish sequence.*
Social Studies	4	World History I & II, Geography, European History, U.S. History, and Contemporary Puerto Rican History
Mathematics	4	Algebra I, Geometry, Algebra II, AP Precalculus, and Calculus
Science	4	Biology, Chemistry, and AP Physics 1
College Writing & Speech	4	One credit per year, Grades 9–12 (see sequence below)
Physical Education	2	Promotes a balanced, healthy, and active lifestyle
Electives	2	Minimum — chosen from the elective offerings below
TOTAL	28	Minimum credits required for graduation

AP SUBSTITUTIONS · 2026–2027: Students may substitute AP Precalculus for the required Pre-Calculus course and AP Physics 1 for the required Physics course. These College Board–authorized courses satisfy the same graduation requirement and carry weighted GPA value (up to 5.00).

COLLEGE WRITING & SPEECH SEQUENCE

The College Writing & Speech strand is a separate one-credit course taken every year from Grade 7 through Grade 12 to build advanced composition, public-speaking, and college-level writing skills. The four high-school credits are earned as follows:

GRADE LEVEL	COURSE
Grade 9	College Writing
Grade 10	Speech, Debate, and Rhetoric
Grade 11	Critical Media Literacy
Grade 12	College and Creative Writing

GRADE 11 REQUIREMENT · CAPSTONE COURSE
Financial Literacy and Modern Money Management

A comprehensive capstone course that prepares every Washburn graduate to enter adulthood with confidence — guiding students from discovering the right career and college to buying a home and building lifelong wealth. Students master the exact financial and life decisions most adults are never taught.

WHAT EVERY STUDENT MASTERS

› Career Discovery & Placement: Students take professional career-aptitude and placement assessments to uncover their strengths, interests, and ideal career fit — then research real-world salary data and job outlooks and identify their top three career paths.

› College & Major Selection: How to choose the right college and field of study, weigh the true cost and return of a degree, and navigate student loans, scholarships, and financial aid without overborrowing.

› The Secrets of Credit: Building, protecting, and leveraging a strong credit score — how credit really works, and how to use it wisely while avoiding costly debt.

› Budgeting & Everyday Money: Practical skills to budget, save, and bank confidently, and to compare job offers and understand paychecks, salaries, and deductions such as Social Security.

› Buying a Car & a Home: How to purchase a first car and a first home with confidence — comparing offers, reading loan terms, and understanding interest, down payments, and closing costs.

› Investing & Retirement: Growing wealth through stocks, index funds, and cryptocurrency, and opening long-term retirement accounts including the Roth IRA — with the mindset to invest early and consistently.

› Taxes in the U.S. & Puerto Rico: Understanding both tax systems, filing basics, and how taxes shape take-home pay and financial planning.

Option: This requirement may be fulfilled by enrolling in AP Business with Personal Finance.

ADVANCED PLACEMENT (AP) PROGRAM

Washburn offers College Board–authorized Advanced Placement courses that carry weighted GPA value (see grading scales). AP courses give students the opportunity to earn college credit and demonstrate college-level rigor on their transcripts.

OFFERED — 2026–2027	PLANNED FUTURE OFFERINGS
✓ AP Precalculus	• AP Business with Personal Finance
✓ AP Physics 1	• AP World History
	• AP English
	• AP Spanish
	• AP Calculus

OPTIONAL ELECTIVE OFFERINGS

A minimum of 2 elective credits is required. Electives are offered on a year-to-year basis and include:

› Computer Science	› Theater	› Health
› Neuroscience	› Financial Literacy & Modern Money Management	› French I
› French II	› French III	› Music
› Art	› Speech	› Psychology
› Civics	› Introduction to Business

GRADING SCALES

The following scale is used for all courses. GPA is computed in January and in May. AP and other weighted courses are scored on the Weighted (AP) GPA scale, up to a maximum of 5.00.

LETTER	NUMERIC RANGE	STANDARD GPA	WEIGHTED (AP) GPA
A	90–100	4.00	5.00
B	80–89	3.00	4.00
C	70–79	2.00	3.00
D	65–69	1.00	2.00
F	0–64	0.00	0.00

PASSING, PROMOTION & REPEATING COURSES

Passing & Promotion

▪ Minimum passing grade: A student must pass every course with a minimum grade of 65% in order to graduate.

▪ Summer recovery: A student who earns an F may retake the course during summer school at an accredited institution.

▪ Grade repetition: A student who earns more than two F’s in a single year must repeat the grade.

Repeating Courses Policy

▪ Grade of F (64 or lower): The course must be repeated to earn the required credit. The F remains on the record, and both grades are used in computing the cumulative GPA.

▪ Grade of D (65–69): The course may be repeated once. Both the original and the new grades are included in the cumulative GPA.

▪ Grade of C or higher: The course may not be repeated for inclusion in the cumulative GPA.

COMMUNITY SERVICE

Students are required to complete 80 hours of community service prior to graduation, instilling a sense of civic duty and social responsibility.