District 204 Graduation Requirements

Under most circumstances, a student will be expected to spend four years in meeting graduation requirements. In order to graduate, a student will be required to earn the following course credits during his/her secondary school experience in grades 9-12. The overall school program fulfills the requirements of the State of Illinois and the Illinois State Board of Education. Below are the District 204 graduation requirements. Please refer to the college entrance requirements page for further information.

Graduation Requirements

English [1] 4.0 credits
Mathematics [2] 3.0 credits
Science 3.0 credits
Social Studies [3] 2.5 credits
Consumer Education [4] 0.5 credit
Physical Education [1] 3.5 credits
Health 0.5 credit
Electives (Art, Music, World Language and/or Career & Technical Education) [5] [6] 1.0 credit
Basic Requirements Subtotal: 18.0
Additional Elective Credits: 6.0
Total Credits Required for graduation: 24

Notes

[1] (1, 2) To meet the physical education requirement and English requirement, a student must be registered in physical education and English for each semester of attendance.

[2]  The state requirement for mathematics includes 1.0 credit of algebra and 1.0 credit of geometry content.

[3]  The social studies requirement includes: 1.0 credit of either Honors World History, World Geography, Human Geography, AP Human Geography or AP World History, 1.0 credit of U.S. History (this includes three options: American Society, American History, or AP U.S. History), and 0.5 credit of Government (this includes three options: Government, Online American Government, or AP Government and Politics), additionally all courses that meet the Government graduation requirement also meet the state mandate for Civics Education.

[4] The consumer economics State requirement is fulfilled by taking Consumer Economics (including Online Consumer Economics) or AP Macroeconomics.

[5]  State graduation requirement is a total of 1.0 credit chosen from music, art, world language, and/or career and technical education.

[6] Notice of change for 2017-2018: Drivers Education taken in 204 School will count for Elective credit.  Drivers Education completed after June 30, 2017 with an outside agency will not earn High School credit.

EARLY GRADUATION The opportunity for early graduation is provided for students in the senior year and at the end of the junior year. Applications for mid-year graduation should be made prior to the start of the senior year. If approved, this allows for non-attendance in the eighth semester of high school. Mid-year graduates must complete the first semester. Juniors applying for early graduation must submit the application prior to the start of the 5th semester. If approved, this allows for non-attendance in the senior year of high school. The written application must be completed and provided to the student’s counselor; applications can be found in the guidance office. Students graduating early must complete all graduation requirements. Students who have completed 7 semesters of high school will be eligible for the Latin Honor System designations noted below.

GRADUATION HONORS At graduation, students will be honored for academic success using the Latin Honor System which includes designations of Summa Cum Laude for a grade point average (GPA) of 4.5 and above, Magna Cum Laude for a GPA of 4.2-4.49, and Cum Laude for a GPA of 4.0-4.19. Also, any student with a cumulative GPA of 3.60 or above, will be named an Indian Prairie Scholar.  The Latin Honor System recognition and the Indian Prairie Scholar recognition are calculated based on a student’s GPA through his or her seventh semester of school as a full-time District 204 student.

ADDITIONAL STATE OF ILLINOIS GRADUATION REQUIREMENTS

  •  State and Federal Constitution Exam
  • Completion of State Mandated Assessment (School Day SAT)
  • Completion of FAFSA (Free Application for Federal Student Aid)