Washington State Graduation Requirements
All public high school students are required to meet statewide graduation requirements in order to earn a diploma. The goal is that more students will be better prepared to meet 21st-century demands in their working and personal lives. Within these pages, families, students and educators can learn more about each of the new requirements, including what each requirement is designed to do and how students will be supported.
To earn a high school diploma, a student must:
The Graduation Toolkit is produced each year by OSPI to help educators and families understand Washington state graduation requirements. This guide is available online for easy viewing and in a downloadable format for printing.
Earning a Diploma (PDF) A one-page handout that covers the different requirements for each graduating class. It is translated into the following nine languages:
Cambodian | Chinese | Korean | Punjabi | Russian | Somali | Spanish | Tagalog | Vietnamese
The Washington State Board of Education establishes minimum credit requirements, the Culminating Project and the High School and Beyond Plan.
The Washington State Legislature requires state testing.
Earn High School Credits
Washington requires public school graduates to complete a minimum of 19 credits in order to graduate. Beginning with the Class of 2013, public school students must complete a minimum of 20 credits with the addition of a third math credit. Many local school districts, however, require students to earn credits beyond the state minimum.
To read more . . .
Pass State Tests or Approved Alternatives to those Tests
Our state graduation requirements are designed to ensure students have a solid foundation of reading, writing, math and science skills, no matter the path they choose after high school. To be eligible to graduate in Washington, high school students must: pass specific state exams, earn all required state and local credits, and successfully complete a high school and beyond plan and a culminating project. The state testing requirements are as follows:
- Classes of 2011 and 2012: Students must pass a state exam in reading and writing, a state-approved alternative or an assessment for students in special education. Students can meet the state’s math requirement by passing a high school math exam OR by earning two math credits after 10th grade.
- Classes of 2013 and 2014: Students must pass a state exam in reading and writing and one end-of-course exam in math, state-approved alternatives or assessments for students in special education.
- Classes of 2015 and beyond: Students must pass a state exam in reading and writing, one science end-of-course exam and two math end-of-course exams, state-approved alternatives or assessments for students in special education.
Beginning with the class of 2013, students must earn a Certificate of Academic Achievement or Certificate of Individual Achievement, the latter being for students in special education. To learn more about the CAA/CIA.
In addition to passing state exams, students can meet their assessment graduation requirements by passing state-approved alternatives, or Certificate of Academic Achievement Options. To learn more about CAA Options.
Students who transfer into a public school from out of state or an in-state non-public setting (home school or private school) in 11th or 12th grade can immediately access the CAA options. To learn more about student transfer options.
