How to calculate GPA high school

Our easy-to-use high school GPA calculator will help you calculate your GPA in just minutes. Whether your goal is to earn a scholarship, get into a prestigious college, or ensure you will graduate, when it comes to figuring out your high school GPA, we’ve got you covered.

Your GPA

Weighted

Unweighted

Cumulative

{{CumulativeGPA.weighted}}

{{CumulativeGPA.unweighted}}

• {{semester.title}}

  {{semester.weighted}}

  {{semester.unweighted}}

Grade Format

Letters Percentage

Your GPA

• Cumulative

  {{CumulativeGPA.weighted}}

• {{semester.title}}

  {{semester.weighted}}

• Cumulative

  {{CumulativeGPA.unweighted}}

• {{semester.title}}

  {{semester.unweighted}}

• Pro Tip: Try our grade calculator to calculate your course assessment grades and the final test grades.

High School GPA Calculator – Instructions

1. Select your grade format

You can select your current grade format – letter grade or percentage grade to figure out your GPA. Request your teacher to provide your grade before the final report card. You can estimate the grades in case your teacher can’t confirm the grades. Letter grades can range from A+ to an F on the 4.0 Scale.

Percent grades range from 100% to 60%. Anything under 59% or lower is considered as F (fail).

2. Enter Your Current GPA (Optional)

Enter your current GPA and total credits you have taken, and the calculator will start calculating your high school GPA by factoring in your current GPA. This step is optional, and you can choose not to enter any data here.

3. Customize your semester name (Optional)

You can customize the semester name to make it easy to remember.

4. Add all courses to calculate your high school GPA

You can add your courses in this format:

• Course Name
• Grade (Letter or Percent grade)
• Credits (Leave it as 1 if not known)
• Course Type (Regular, AP, Honors etc.)

Regular classes will be given points according to the standard scale (A = 4, B = 3, C = 2). For Honors, grades will be increased by half a point. Grades for College / Advanced Placements / IB courses will be increased by a whole point. GPA will be updated and adjusted as you enter class and subject weight, and shown under ‘Your GPA’ section as both weighted GPA and unweighted GPA.

• Weighted GPA – factors in course credits and course type weightings
• Unweighted GPA – ignores course credits and course type weightings

Refer weighted GPA and how to calculate GPA sections for more details.

Click “Add course” button to add more courses.

5. Add a semester 

Click on “Add semester” and follow step 2, 3 and 4 to enter your course grades. Each semester GPA will show up on the right side under ‘Your GPA’ section.

High School GPA – Frequently Asked Questions

How do I calculate a weighted High School GPA?

To calculate a weighted high school GPA, make a list of all of the courses you are currently taking and the letter grade you received at the end of the course. Next, you will write how many points each letter grade is worth. For regular classes, those that are not considered to be Advanced Placement or Honors, an A is worth 4 points. Bs are worth 3 points. Cs are worth 2 points. Ds are worth 1 point. Fs are not worth any points. For weighted Advanced Placement or Honors courses, an A is worth 5 points. Bs are worth 4 points. Cs are worth 3 points. Ds are worth 2 points. Fs are not worth any points. Now add up all of the points. Count the number of courses you wrote on your list. Divide the number of points by the number of courses. That will give you your weighted GPA.

How do you calculate cumulative GPA in high school?

To calculate your cumulative GPA in high school, make a list of all of the courses you have taken in high school and the letter grade you received at the end of the course. Next, you will write how many points each letter grade is worth. An A is worth 4 points. Bs are worth 3 points. Cs are worth 2 points. Ds are worth 1 point. Fs are not worth any points. If your high school uses a weighted GPA scale, an A in an Advanced Placement or Honors course is worth 5 points. Bs are worth 4 points. Cs are worth 3 points. Ds are worth 2 points. Fs are not worth any points. Now add up all of the points. Count the number of courses you wrote on your list. Divide the number of points by the number of courses. That will give you your cumulative GPA in high school.

How do my AP and Honors courses affect my overall GPA?

Your Advanced Placement (AP) and Honors courses can greatly affect your GPA. In regular courses, an A is worth 4 points. Bs are worth 3 points. Cs are worth 2 points. Ds are worth 1 point. Fs are not worth any points. However, in AP and Honors courses, an A is worth 5 points. Bs are worth 4 points. Cs are worth 3 points. Ds are worth 2 points. Fs are not worth any points. Taking AP and Honors courses is a great way to improve your GPA and get you ahead in class rank.

How many AP and Honors courses should I take?

When deciding the number of Advanced Placement (AP) and Honors courses you should consider how much time you have to devote to these courses. If you are in many extracurricular activities, participate in sports, or have a job, you might not have the time necessary to devote to these courses. You also need to consider what type of learner you are. Typically, these courses are much more fast paced and rigorous that regular courses. Talk to your school counselor and/or other students who have already taken these courses. This will help you decided whether or not you should take them.

How do I calculate AP or Honors GPA?

To calculate Advanced Placement (AP) or Honors GPA, make a list of all of your courses and the letter grade you received at the end of the course. Next, write how many points each letter grade is worth. For regular classes, those that are not considered to be Advanced Placement or Honors, an A is worth 4 points. Bs are worth 3 points. Cs are worth 2 points. Ds are worth 1 point. Fs are not worth any points. For weighted AP or Honors courses, an A is worth 5 points. Bs are worth 4 points. Cs are worth 3 points. Ds are worth 2 points. Fs are not worth any points. Now add up all of the points. Count the number of courses you wrote on your list. Divide the number of points by the number of courses. That will give you your AP or Honors GPA.

What do i need on my final?

Each school has their own policy on how much a course final is worth. Typically, finals are worth 10% or 20% of course’s final grade. Obviously, you need to score as high as you can on a final to get the highest course grade possible.

What is a good GPA in high school?

It depends on your goals. If your goal is to be Valedictorian or Salutatorian, you need at least a 4.0 or higher (if your school uses a weighted GPA scale). If your goal is to be an Honor Graduation, you will likely need a 3.5 GPA or higher. If you hope to be admitted to college and earn college scholarships, you need a 3.0 GPA or higher. Most colleges have a minimum GPA for admission requirements.

Is a 4.0 weighted GPA good?

If your weighted GPA is 4.0, you will most likely be an Honor Graduate, and that is good!

What is the highest high school GPA?

If your school uses a regular, non-weighted GPA scale, the highest GPA you can earn is 4.0. If your school uses a weighted GPA scale, the highest GPA could possibly be 5.0.

How important is high school GPA for college?

High school GPA is very important for college. Most colleges have a minimum high school GPA required for admission. Also, many college scholarships require a certain GPA or higher.

How to raise GPA after high school graduation?

Unfortunately, you cannot raise your high school GPA after high school graduation.

Are Pass/Fail courses included in my GPA? 

No. Pass/Fail (P/F) or Pass/No Pass (P/NP) courses are not factored in the student’s GPA.

Do Incompletes (I) and Withdrawals (W) affect a student’s GPA?

No. Incompletes (I) and Withdrawals (W) do not affect a student’s GPA because these courses do not receive any grade points or credit hours.

What is a good high school GPA? 

High school students should aim for a score of 3.3 or above as much as possible. This is especially true if you are looking to go to college after you graduate high school. Even though some colleges may accept students with a GPA score as low as 2.0, if you’re looking to get into an Ivy League school or any other of the more prestigious colleges, 3.3 is definitely the minimum.

You can help yourself plan for the future by looking up the average GPA acceptance score for the college of your choice. There are several websites where you can input a GPA score, and it will show you which colleges are willing to accept it.

How can I calculate my grades within a specific course?

Use our grade calculator to calculate your course grades based on your assignments within a specific course.

How do my AP and Honors courses affect my overall GPA?

Each school sets its own grading scale for these types of courses. We recommend you contact your school administration office for more information on the grading system for your specific school. However, in most cases, when taking AP (Advanced Placement) or Honors courses, grades are generally weighted. For instance, a half point (.50) is added for Honors courses, and a whole point (1.0) is added to AP courses. In this example, an A then equals 4.50 for an Honors class or 5.00 for an Advanced Placement class.)

How do I calculate a weighted High School GPA?

Simply follow the steps below to calculate your weighted GPA:

• Step 1: Convert every letter grade to its respective points (A=4, B=3, C=2, D=1, F=0.)
• Step 2: Add up all the grade points
• Step 3: Divide the added grade points (step 2) by the number of class credits taken.

Note: For Honors and AP classes, you should give yourself one additional point for every semester of an Honors or AP class that you have completed (A=5, B=4, C=3.)

How many AP and Honors courses should I take?

The decision to take an AP or Honors course is an individual decision that depends on each student’s needs. AP and Honors courses require you to consider factors like your past performance, overall course load, extracurricular commitments, and stress level. Also, students should consider the subject matters about which they are passionate and the subjects in which they have experienced success. 

Teacher recommendation is highly recommended for entrance into an AP course. Keep in mind that AP classes are considered college-level coursework and require good study habits and significant time commitments. Colleges want to see you work hard, succeed, and be well rounded. For some students, this includes taking AP or Honors courses, and for others it does not.

I heard 9th grade grades don’t count. Is this actually true?

All courses and grades count in high school.  All grades are a part of the cumulative GPA. The 9-12 grade cumulative GPA is used by many colleges and universities to help determine if a student will be admitted.

When comparing grades for regular, Honors, and AP classes, which looks better for a student to have: an A in a regular class or a C in an honors/AP/IB class?

There are a few things to consider when reflecting on this question:

• While consistency is important, the types of classes you take and the grades you earn are extremely important. Also, meeting with a counselor to plan course selections and discuss college options would be beneficial in helping you decide what level courses you should pursue for a particular subject.
• Colleges admission committee understands that not all students should take a full course load of Honors/AP classes and so they are interested in your Weighted GPA–the GPA that reflects the Honors and advanced-level courses you take. An A or B in an Honors or advanced-level course suitable for the student’s abilities is generally seen more favorably than all As in less-challenging courses. Students consistently earning Cs in Honors/AP classes should review their program with their counselor.

How many students take Advanced Placement classes?

Looking at the most recent report from the National Center for Education Statistics, 69 percent of high schools reported enrollments in AP or IB courses, with a total of about 3.5 million enrollments.

There is no national data on the number of students taking just AP courses (as opposed to AP and IB courses), but the number of AP exam-takers increased from 1,221,016 in 2004-05 to 2,483,452 in 2014-15. According to the College Board (the company that runs the AP testing process), 2.7 million students took nearly 5 million tests in 2017.

How can I improve my High School GPA fast?

• Take AP Classes – This is the most efficient way to raise your GPA.
• Summer School – Taking summer school is probably not on your summer bucket list. But if you need to pull the numbers, summer school is a must.
• Regular Attendance – Participating in your classes will help you better understand the subject. So, missing out on these events is a no-no if you want to raise your high school GPA.
• Invest in Study Time – Improving your study habits and making time to study your materials is a better strategy than cramming the information in your head before a test.
• Seek Assistance – After school tutoring and getting additional help from parents, siblings or teachers is a great way to learn in addition to what you already get from class and study materials. 

What are the types of grades?

Your grades may be written using percentage, where your score is labeled from 0 percent to 100 percent, or with letters that are given with corresponding scores. The number and difficulty level of your class also factors in your resulting grade.

Here is a table of the corresponding value of your grades:

Here are some of the types of grades you might see in your grading card:

How Do I Calculate High School GPA?

High school GPA is a valuable asset, especially when applying to go to college. Most schools receive a considerable amount of applicants for the allotted slots for students. This becomes one of the reasons why a high school GPA is important. 

Improving your GPA during high school is something almost every student wants. However, not everyone knows just how to calculate their GPA. 

Oftentimes, class grades are given in letters. To know your GPA, you need to do the conversion to the letter’s corresponding numeric grade and add them to get your average GPA grade. 

For Unweighted GPA 

Some schools’ grading systems include pluses and minuses in the letter grade. The representation of those letters are as follows:

To help you with your calculations, you can use our GPA calculator for easier calculations. Or, you can also do the calculation manually using these easy steps:

1. Convert each letter to its equivalent number. You can use the provided table above for reference.

For example: B- = 2.7 

1. Add the numbers.

For example: 4.0 + 2.7 + 3.3 + 4.0

After converting each letter to a number, add the numbers together and find their sum.

1. Then divide the sum by the number of classes you took.

For example: 14/4 = 3.5

If you took six classes, then divide your sum by six. 

The result of your calculation, your average, is your unweighted GPA.

For Weighted GPA 

School systems that use a weighted GPA use a higher value to demonstrate your performance, especially if you take AP, honor, or advanced classes.

For AP classes:

For honors or advanced classes:

The steps to calculating your weighted GPA are the same as the steps to calculating your unweighted GPA.