Graduation Requirements

Irvine High School offers a broad and comprehensive selection of classes. Within the curriculum, many academically challenging classes help to prepare students for the rigorous demands of college and life. Some courses enable students to pursue areas of self-interest and/or career technical education. 

Students must anticipate a world of rapid change. Research indicates that future members of the workforce will have to communicate effectively and process ever-increasing amounts of information. To be prepared for the job market, students should take classes that extend their basic skills and explore real-life experiences. Students should select classes that help to accomplish the following goals:

1. Master essential competencies in reading, writing, and math

2. Explore personal interests in academic areas as well as the arts, business, and the career technical education fields

3. Participate in career exploration experiences and internship training programs

Given the complexity of the curriculum, each student must develop with his/her parents/guardians, advisor, and counselor, a long-range educational plan. Students, along with parents/guardians and teacher advisors, should choose classes carefully in the spring as these selections are used to determine teacher assignments and the number of classes offered.  Requests to change courses after initial selection will be considered but may not be possible.

Classes that are limited in availability and have a surplus of students requesting the classes will be filled using a waitlist, and seniority may be considered.

Students may request to graduate early (at the end of the 7th semester).  In order for the request to be considered, the student must meet with their counselor by the end of their junior year and develop a plan that will include completion of 215 high school graduation credits (225 for class of 2027 and beyond), course requirements, and an Early Graduation Contract.  Early graduation that requires a student to take more than one course in a core area (example English) may not be possible due to class size limitations and teacher staffing.  Students may want to consider summer school courses as an option to assist in fulfilling graduation requirement areas.  

Each semester, students are afforded the opportunity to request schedule adjustments. However, preference changes are not considered and there are limitations based on class size and teacher staffing.

Schedule adjustments will NOT be accommodated for the following reasons:

• Having classes in a certain order

• Having a certain teacher for a certain class

• Having an open period to accommodate for a longer break, time to do homework, or for work or a college class

• Starting school later or getting out earlier due to outside commitments

  • Work, internships, family commitments, and other non-school related commitments must be scheduled outside of the regular school day — after 3:40 p.m.

• Dropping a year-long course (A/B Course)

• Dropping a course that creates a gap in your class schedule

  • Example: Period 1 math, Period 3 open, Period 5 science — having a Period 3 open is a gap and is not permitted

Add/Drop Policy

• Students may add a class through the 4th day of each semester.

• Students may drop a class through the 4th week of the semester without the class appearing on their official transcript.

• Students may drop a class from the 5th week of the semester through the last day of the first or third quarter with a withdrawal grade of “WP” (Withdraw Pass) or “WF” (Withdraw Fail).

  • The “WP” or “WF” will be posted on the official transcript but will not be calculated into the GPA.

• Beginning with the first day of the second and fourth quarters, students may no longer drop a class.

Note: Classes may only be dropped if dropping the class does not make the student under-enrolled or create a gap in the student’s class schedule.

For the most current schedule adjustment information, please visit the:

•  Counseling Website 

Grading Policy

Students will be evaluated on their performance and mastery of subject matter each semester (18 weeks). The grades to be awarded shall be:

• A = 4 grade points (Superior Progress)

• B = 3 grade points (Above Average Progress)

• C = 2 grade points (Average Progress)

• D = 1 grade point (Below Average Progress)

• F = 0 grade points (Inadequate Progress)

• P = 0 grade points (Pass grade)

All semester grades become part of the student’s official transcript. Mid-semester grade reports will be available to parents/guardians online at the end of each semester’s ninth week. These grades will not appear on a student’s official transcript, unless the class is a quarter class.

Weighted Grades

Advanced Placement (AP) courses and select Honors/Enhanced courses, completed with a grade of C or better, shall receive a weighted grade point.

• What is AP?

 These designated weighted courses are highlighted with a gold star next to them on the: 

• IHS University of California A-G Course List

AP courses completed with a grade of C or better at any accredited high school shall receive a weighted grade point. For how UCs provide credit for AP courses, refer to the:

• UC AP Credit Guidelines

Honors courses, completed with a grade of C or better, taken at any accredited California high school, shall receive a weighted grade ONLY if:

1. An identical course, designated as weighted on the IHS UC A-G Course List, is offered at IHS AND

2. The course is identified on the prior school’s UC A-G course list as a weighted course

Weighted grade points shall be issued as follows:

• A = 5 grade points

• B = 4 grade points

• C = 3 grade points

• D = 1 grade point

Incomplete Grade (I)

A grade of Incomplete is given by a teacher only in rare situations, generally due to illness or a reason beyond the student’s control. The student must complete the coursework by the end of the next quarter after the Incomplete is issued.

If the coursework is not completed in the allotted time, the Incomplete is converted to a grade determined by the course’s teacher. When the coursework is completed, the student/parent should request a Grade or Credit Change from the teacher, who will inform the records clerk to update the transcript.

Credit Policy

Irvine High School grants credit when a grade of A through D has been reported for graduation requirements. Any grade of F earns no credit.

• 5 credits shall be granted for all non-variable, alternating block semester-long courses.

• 10 credits shall be awarded for all non-variable solid block semester-long courses.

• Variable credit courses allow students to earn credit upon completion of specific, measurable course objectives.

  • Courses offering variable credit are noted in the course descriptions.

Repeating a Course

Students may repeat an academic course to improve their understanding of content and to improve their grade. Students repeating a course should note:

1. Transcripts will reflect both grades

2. Double credit is NOT issued for a previously passed academic course

3. If a C or better is earned and a student repeats the course, both grades will be calculated into the GPA

Note: The UC system does not allow repeated classes with grades of C or higher.

International Transcripts

Students transferring from a high school outside the United States will receive a Pass or No Credit for coursework completed at the out-of-country school. Pass and No Credit are not calculated into GPA.

Coursework taken at WASC accredited schools or equivalent will be awarded letter grades (A, B, C, D, F). Official transcripts from the international school are required to award transcript credit.

Irvine High School students with an academic, weighted GPA of 3.500 or higher are recognized with the Principal’s Honor Roll each semester based on their GPA for the previous semester's coursework.

Graduating seniors are recognized for academic honors based on their weighted GPA after seven semesters (end of the fall semester of 12th grade).

• Highest Honors

  • GPA of 4.000 or higher

  • Students are presented with an honors stole to wear at graduation

• High Honors

  • GPA of 3.800 to 3.999

  • Students are presented with an honors braid to wear at graduation

• A student must have four semesters of letter grades to be eligible

• GPAs are taken as is and are not rounded up

Concurrent Instruction

Concurrent Enrollment is a course taken outside of IUSD at a secondary school institution recognized by the U.S. Department of Education, such as the Western Association of Schools and Colleges (WASC).

• Requests require prior approval by the principal or designee through the:

  • Request for Alternative Course Credit form

• A maximum of 10 credits per school year may be awarded, with a maximum of 40 credits total recorded on the student’s official transcript

• Honors points from these outside institutions will not be posted

College Credit

Dual Enrollment is a course taken at a college or university.

• Requests require prior approval by the principal or designee through the K–12 Approval Form provided by the college or university

• Courses will only be recorded on a student’s official transcript if they meet a minimum graduation or A–G college entrance requirement

• Dual Enrollment courses will be posted after Cal Grant GPAs have been submitted in the fall of the student’s senior year

• Honors points will not be posted

• Physical education or health courses taken at a college will not be considered for high school graduation requirements

Community college credit will be posted as follows: