Enrollment and Graduation

Repeating a Previously Failed Course

As provided in State Board of Education policy CCRE-001, high school students who fail a course for credit may repeat that course.  To take advantage of this option, the student must repeat the entire course.  Beginning with the 2015-16 school year, when a student initially fails a high school course and successfully repeats the course for credit, the new course grade will replace the original failing grade for the course on the student’s transcript and in calculations of the student’s GPA, class rank, and honor roll eligibility.  The superintendent may develop procedures for students to indicate their intent to repeat a course for credit under this paragraph and may establish any other rules as necessary and consistent with State Board policy.

Note:  Students repeating a course for credit requiring the administration of the EOC assessment who previously obtained a proficient score on the appropriate EOC assessment may use the proficient score as a minimum of 20% of their final course grade or they may elect to retake the appropriate EOC assessment at the completion of the course and use the most recent score for the final grade calculation.

Repeating a Course for which Credit was Earned (Grade Replacement)

The board recognizes that special circumstances may arise when high school students may need to repeat a course for which they have earned credit in order to increase their understanding of the course content, to improve skill mastery, or to meet postsecondary goals.  Students may repeat a course for which they have previously earned credit, subject to the following preconditions and any other reasonable rules established by the superintendent:

a. a student must have earned a letter grade of D in the course on the first attempt and have an extenuating circumstance that directly led to the student's academic performance in the course;

b. the student must make a written request to repeat the course;

c. the principal or designee must approve the request;

d. there must be space available after seats have been assigned to students who are taking the course for the first time or repeating a previously failed course;

e. the course to be repeated must be a duplicate of the original class via any delivery method when the entire Standard Course of Study for that course is being taught to the student for the second time;

f. upon completion of the repeated course, the new course grade will replace the student’s original grade on the student’s transcript and in calculations of the student’s GPA, class rank, and honor roll eligibility, regardless of whether the later grade is higher or lower than the student’s original mark;

g. credit towards graduation for the same course will be given only once;

h. a course may be repeated only one time; and

i. students may repeat a maximum of four previously passed courses during their high school careers.

The superintendent shall require notice to students and parents of these preconditions and of any other relevant information deemed advisable by the superintendent.

Note:  See School Board Policy 3420 Section J for more details about this policy

NC State Board of Education policy CCRE-001defines “repeating a course for credit” as any high school course repeated via any delivery method when the entire Standard Course of Study is being taught for the second time. “Credit recovery” is defined as delivering a subset of the Standard Course of Study in order to specifically address deficiencies in a student’s mastery of the course and target specific components of a course necessary for completion.  This policy can be found in NHCS-BP 3420, Section H.

When a student is repeating a course for credit, the following apply:

• Students will receive a numerical grade and the second attempt will be the final grade and it will appear on the high school transcript.

When a student is completing a course via credit recovery, the following apply:

• Students who fail a high school course may retake parts of the course through credit recovery to earn credit for the course.  Credit recovery delivers a subset of the blueprint of the original course in order to specifically address deficiencies in a student’s mastery of the course and target specific components of a course necessary for completion.  A pre-assessment of the student’s understanding of the course material will be administered at the beginning of the course and the credit recovery will be tailored to meet the needs of the individual student.  The length of a credit recovery course is dictated by the skills and knowledge the student needs to recover and not a fixed length of seat time.
   
• When credit recovery is exercised, the original record of the course being completed and failed will remain on the transcript.

The grade for credit recovery is pass/fail and does not factor into the student’s GPA.

Students transferring into a NHCS high school from another school (public or private, home school, or an alternative school) may receive credit toward graduation for courses successfully completed in the sending school.

Students transferring from one NHCS school to another NHCS school will receive:

• Credit for all courses approved by the sending school.
• Weighted credit for all courses designated as Honors and AP by the sending school.

Students transferring from another North Carolina public-school or from a North Carolina charter school into NHCS will receive:

• Credit for all courses approved by the sending school.
• Weighted credit for all courses designated by the sending school system as Honors or AP only if comparable courses are designated Honors or AP in the NHCS Curriculum Course Guide that was in effect for the year the courses were taken.

Students transferring from a non-public school accredited by one of the six regional accrediting associations* or an out of state public school into NHCS will receive:

• Credit for all courses approved by the sending school (credit determined by alignment to North Carolina Standard Course of Study).
• Weighted credit for all courses designated by the sending school system as Honors or AP only if comparable courses are designated Honors or AP in the NHCS Curriculum Course Guide that was in effect the year the courses were taken.

Upon review and approval by the principal, students transferring into a NHCS school from a non-public school not accredited by one of the six regional accrediting associations* or from a home school may receive credit toward graduation from courses successfully completed in the non-accredited, non-public school according to the following guidelines:

• Documentation must be provided to the receiving NHCS school by the sending school as to the course of study the student followed, syllabus or pacing documents, total number of contact hours per course, and scores of any standardized tests the student has taken.
• Grades will be recorded as “Pass” (P) or “Fail” (F) and will be identified in the transcript as non-NHCS grades.
• Grades and credits will not be included in the calculation of GPA or class rank.

To the extent possible, students who transfer among schools in NHCS or who transfer into NHCS in the middle of an academic year will be enrolled in courses that are similar to those in which they had been enrolled at their previous school. In the event that, due to course offerings in the new school, a student is unable to enroll in a course that is similar to one in which her or she had been enrolled, the student will be given the opportunity to enroll in an alternate course that will not result in the denial of credit to the extent practical in the school setting; for example, if the student an “catch up” in class or perform adequately without having completed the first part of the class. Determination of credit for transfer students will be based on a review of individual circumstances. The school system does not guarantee course credit if a student is unable to complete a course due to transfer.

*Middle States, New England, North Central, Northwest, Southern, and Western Associations

If you are requesting credit for an out-of-county or non-NHCS college-level course, you must meet with your school counselor and request written permission before enrolling. This meeting will confirm whether the course is approved and meets graduation requirements. Please note that this meeting does not guarantee approval to take the requested course.

Note:  These requirements are for students entering high school in 2021-2024

Note:  These requirements are for students entering high school in 2025.

Note:  These requirements are for students entering high school in 2026 and afterward

Repeating a Previously Failed Course

As provided in State Board of Education policy CCRE-001, high school students who fail a course for credit may repeat that course.  To take advantage of this option, the student must repeat the entire course.  Beginning with the 2015-16 school year, when a student initially fails a high school course and successfully repeats the course for credit, the new course grade will replace the original failing grade for the course on the student’s transcript and in calculations of the student’s GPA, class rank, and honor roll eligibility.  The superintendent may develop procedures for students to indicate their intent to repeat a course for credit under this paragraph and may establish any other rules as necessary and consistent with State Board policy.

Note:  Students repeating a course for credit requiring the administration of the EOC assessment who previously obtained a proficient score on the appropriate EOC assessment may use the proficient score as a minimum of 20% of their final course grade or they may elect to retake the appropriate EOC assessment at the completion of the course and use the most recent score for the final grade calculation.

Repeating a Course for which Credit was Earned (Grade Replacement)

The board recognizes that special circumstances may arise when high school students may need to repeat a course for which they have earned credit in order to increase their understanding of the course content, to improve skill mastery, or to meet postsecondary goals.  Students may repeat a course for which they have previously earned credit, subject to the following preconditions and any other reasonable rules established by the superintendent:

a. a student must have earned a letter grade of D in the course on the first attempt and have an extenuating circumstance that directly led to the student's academic performance in the course;

b. the student must make a written request to repeat the course;

c. the principal or designee must approve the request;

d. there must be space available after seats have been assigned to students who are taking the course for the first time or repeating a previously failed course;

e. the course to be repeated must be a duplicate of the original class via any delivery method when the entire Standard Course of Study for that course is being taught to the student for the second time;

f. upon completion of the repeated course, the new course grade will replace the student’s original grade on the student’s transcript and in calculations of the student’s GPA, class rank, and honor roll eligibility, regardless of whether the later grade is higher or lower than the student’s original mark;

g. credit towards graduation for the same course will be given only once;

h. a course may be repeated only one time; and

i. students may repeat a maximum of four previously passed courses during their high school careers.

The superintendent shall require notice to students and parents of these preconditions and of any other relevant information deemed advisable by the superintendent.

Note:  See School Board Policy 3420 Section J for more details about this policy

NC State Board of Education policy CCRE-001defines “repeating a course for credit” as any high school course repeated via any delivery method when the entire Standard Course of Study is being taught for the second time. “Credit recovery” is defined as delivering a subset of the Standard Course of Study in order to specifically address deficiencies in a student’s mastery of the course and target specific components of a course necessary for completion.  This policy can be found in NHCS-BP 3420, Section H.

When a student is repeating a course for credit, the following apply:

• Students will receive a numerical grade and the second attempt will be the final grade and it will appear on the high school transcript.

When a student is completing a course via credit recovery, the following apply:

• Students who fail a high school course may retake parts of the course through credit recovery to earn credit for the course.  Credit recovery delivers a subset of the blueprint of the original course in order to specifically address deficiencies in a student’s mastery of the course and target specific components of a course necessary for completion.  A pre-assessment of the student’s understanding of the course material will be administered at the beginning of the course and the credit recovery will be tailored to meet the needs of the individual student.  The length of a credit recovery course is dictated by the skills and knowledge the student needs to recover and not a fixed length of seat time.
   
• When credit recovery is exercised, the original record of the course being completed and failed will remain on the transcript.

The grade for credit recovery is pass/fail and does not factor into the student’s GPA.

Students transferring into a NHCS high school from another school (public or private, home school, or an alternative school) may receive credit toward graduation for courses successfully completed in the sending school.

Students transferring from one NHCS school to another NHCS school will receive:

• Credit for all courses approved by the sending school.
• Weighted credit for all courses designated as Honors and AP by the sending school.

Students transferring from another North Carolina public-school or from a North Carolina charter school into NHCS will receive:

• Credit for all courses approved by the sending school.
• Weighted credit for all courses designated by the sending school system as Honors or AP only if comparable courses are designated Honors or AP in the NHCS Curriculum Course Guide that was in effect for the year the courses were taken.

Students transferring from a non-public school accredited by one of the six regional accrediting associations* or an out of state public school into NHCS will receive:

• Credit for all courses approved by the sending school (credit determined by alignment to North Carolina Standard Course of Study).
• Weighted credit for all courses designated by the sending school system as Honors or AP only if comparable courses are designated Honors or AP in the NHCS Curriculum Course Guide that was in effect the year the courses were taken.

Upon review and approval by the principal, students transferring into a NHCS school from a non-public school not accredited by one of the six regional accrediting associations* or from a home school may receive credit toward graduation from courses successfully completed in the non-accredited, non-public school according to the following guidelines:

• Documentation must be provided to the receiving NHCS school by the sending school as to the course of study the student followed, syllabus or pacing documents, total number of contact hours per course, and scores of any standardized tests the student has taken.
• Grades will be recorded as “Pass” (P) or “Fail” (F) and will be identified in the transcript as non-NHCS grades.
• Grades and credits will not be included in the calculation of GPA or class rank.

To the extent possible, students who transfer among schools in NHCS or who transfer into NHCS in the middle of an academic year will be enrolled in courses that are similar to those in which they had been enrolled at their previous school. In the event that, due to course offerings in the new school, a student is unable to enroll in a course that is similar to one in which her or she had been enrolled, the student will be given the opportunity to enroll in an alternate course that will not result in the denial of credit to the extent practical in the school setting; for example, if the student an “catch up” in class or perform adequately without having completed the first part of the class. Determination of credit for transfer students will be based on a review of individual circumstances. The school system does not guarantee course credit if a student is unable to complete a course due to transfer.

*Middle States, New England, North Central, Northwest, Southern, and Western Associations

If you are requesting credit for an out-of-county or non-NHCS college-level course, you must meet with your school counselor and request written permission before enrolling. This meeting will confirm whether the course is approved and meets graduation requirements. Please note that this meeting does not guarantee approval to take the requested course.

**FOR ELIGIBLE STUDENTS WITH AN INDIVIDUALIZED EDUCATION PLAN (IEP)**

Early Graduation (NHCS-Policy 3460, Section C,4; SBE GRAD-001; SBE GRAD-006)

Students are eligible for graduation in less than four years upon fulfilling NC requirements and local standards. NHCS high school graduates must accumulate 22 credits per NHCS board policy 3460, NCDPI policy GRAD-006, and GRAD-001.

1. Students wishing to graduate from high school in less than four years may request permission to complete their graduation requirements on an accelerated schedule.  
2. Students and parents or guardians shall consult a school counselor to develop an early graduation plan.
3. High school students can make this request throughout their high school career. High school students must make this request by the last school day of October. 
4. Middle school students may request this option in their 8th-grade year before high school selections.
   1. If a student wishes to graduate in three years, they should not apply to or attend a Cooperative Innovative High School (CIHS) program. Students attending a CIHS will not have the option to be on an accelerated path for graduation in three years, as those schools aim to obtain a college certificate/credential/degree in addition to a high school diploma in four or five years.
5. The principal shall submit a student’s written intention to graduate early to the assistant superintendent of instruction and academic accountability.
6. The students must adhere to the attendance policy, per board policy 4400. 
7.  It is understood that if the required credits cannot be scheduled as needed or if the student fails to earn the necessary credits, the student will not be able to graduate in less than four years.
8. Students are responsible for verifying and communicating graduation plans with colleges and universities. 
9.  Parent and student conferences must be held to discuss the implications of graduating in less than four years.

Note:  If a student is graduating in less than 8 semesters, please make an appointment with a school counselor to map out an accelerated graduation path.

Note for students entering High School prior to 2024-2025:  At least two elective credits must come from either World Languages, CTE, or Arts courses. GRAD-004

Note for students entering High School in 2025-2026 and after: Shall have at least one arts education course in grades 6-12.  

1. Students must complete the standard course of study (no local electives) for a given arts education course in its entirety to satisfy this requirement. After school activities or partial courses do not fulfill this graduation requirement. 
2. Students who transfer into a public school unit beginning in the ninth grade or later may be exempt, if such a requirement would prevent a student from graduating with the graduation cohort to which the student was assigned when transferring. -GRAD-004

Note for students entering High School in 2026-2027 and after: At least one elective credit must come from Computer Science. GRAD-004

These are the requirements at the time of publication. NHCS will always remain up-to-date and aligned with state based requirements. Check the online Course Curriculum Guide for the most recent requirements.

A.    Except as limited by N.C.G.S. §115C-81(b), the student shall complete the Future-Ready Core mathematics sequence of NC Math 1, 2, 3 and a fourth mathematics course aligned with the student’s post-secondary plans. Acceptable fourth math courses for the Career Endorsement include any math course that may be used to meet NC high school graduation requirements, including applied math courses found in the Career and Technical Education (CTE) domain.

B.    The student shall complete a CTE concentration in one of the approved CTE Cluster areas 

•    Agriculture
•    Food and Natural Resources 
•    Architecture and Construction 
•    Arts, A/V Technology and Communications 
•    Business, Management and Administration 
•    Education and Training 
•    Finance -Government and Public Administration 
•    Health Science -Hospitality and Tourism 
•    Human Services 
•    Information Technology 
•    Law, Public Safety, Corrections and Security -Manufacturing 
•    Marketing, Sales and Service 
•    Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics 
•    Transportation, Distribution and Logistics 

C.    The student shall earn an unweighted grade point average of at least 2.6. 

D.    The student shall earn at least one industry-recognized credential.  Earned credentials can include Career Readiness Certificates (CRC) at the Silver level or above from WorkKeys assessments OR another appropriate industry credentials/certification. 

E.    The student shall earn at least the benchmark reading score established by a nationally norm-referenced college admissions test.  The student may retake the nationally norm-references test as many times as necessary to achieve the required benchmark score.  Minimum Qualification Scores:  ACT Reading 22 / SAT Reading 480.

A.    The student shall complete the Future-Ready Core mathematics sequence of NC Math 1, 2, 3 and a fourth mathematics course aligned with the students post-secondary plans. The fourth math course must meet University of North Carolina system Minimum Admission Requirements or be acceptable for earning placement in a credit bearing college math class under the North Carolina Community College System’s Multiple Measures Placement policy.

B.    The student shall earn an unweighted grade point average of at least 2.6.

C.    The student shall earn at least the benchmark reading score established by a nationally norm-referenced college admissions test.  The student may retake the nationally norm-references test as many times as necessary to achieve the required benchmark score.  Minimum Qualification Scores:  ACT Reading 22 / SAT Reading 480.  
 

A.    The student shall complete the Future-Ready Core mathematics sequence of NC Math 1, 2, 3 and a fourth mathematics course that meets University of North Carolina system Minimum Admission Requirements that include a mathematics course with either NC Math 3, Math II, or Integrated Mathematics III as a pre-requisite.

B.    The student shall complete three units of science including at least one physical science, one biological science and one laboratory science course that must include either physics or chemistry.

C.    The student shall complete two units of a world language (other than English).

D.    The student shall earn a weighted grade point average of at least 2.5.

E.    The student shall earn at least the benchmark reading score established by a nationally norm-referenced college admissions test.  The student may retake the nationally norm-references test as many times as necessary to achieve the required benchmark score.  Minimum Qualification Scores:  ACT Reading 22 / SAT Reading 480.  
 

A.    The student shall complete the Future-Ready Core mathematics sequence of NC Math 1, 2, 3 and a fourth mathematics course that meets University of North Carolina system Minimum Admission Requirements that include a mathematics course with either NC Math 3, Math II, or Integrated Mathematics III as a pre-requisite.

B.    The student shall complete three units of science including an Earth/Environmental science course, Biology, and at least one physical science course that must include either physics or chemistry.

C.    For students entering ninth grade in 2012-13 or later, the student shall complete four course credits of social studies.

D.    The student shall complete two units of a world language (other than English).

E.    The student shall complete four elective credits constituting a concentration recommended from one of the following: Career and Technical Education (CTE), JROTC, Arts Education, Second Languages, any other subject area.

F.    The student shall have completed at least three higher-level courses during junior and/or senior years which carry quality points such as Advanced Placement, International Baccalaureate or Dual Enrollment courses; Advanced CTE and CTE credentialing courses; honors level courses, or Project Lead the Way courses.  

G.    The student shall earn an unweighted grade point average of at least 3.50.
 

A.    The student shall earn a combined unweighted 2.5 GPA for the four English Language Arts courses required for graduation.

B.    The student shall establish proficiency in one or more languages in addition to English, using one of the options outlined below and in accordance with the guidelines developed by the North Carolina Department of Public Instruction. 

i.    Pass an external exam approved by the North Carolina Department of Public Instruction establishing “Intermediate Low” proficiency or higher per the American Council on the Teaching of Foreign Languages (ACTFL) proficiency scale. 
ii.    ***(this part is most likely to apply to NHCS students)  Complete a four-course sequence of study in the same world language, earning an overall GPA of 2.5 or above in those courses. 
iii.    Establish “Intermediate Low” proficiency or higher per the ACTFL proficiency scale using the Credit by Demonstrated Mastery policy described in GCS-M-001.

C.    Limited English Proficiency students shall complete all the requirements of sections A and B above and reach “Developing” proficiency per the World-Class Instructional Design and Assessment (WIDA) proficiency scale in all four domains on the most recent state identified English language proficiency test.
***Students skipping world language levels 1 and 2 are still eligible for this endorsement if they complete level 3 and / or level 4 and maintain the 2.5 GPA.
 

A.    The student completed a minimum of 4 arts credits, achieving a minimum GPA of 3.0 in each course.

B.    The student completed at least 40 hours of arts related extracurricular activities. To receive credit for these hours, a student must fulfill all of the following:

a.    The student participates in an arts-related extracurricular activity that is approved by the Board of Education.
b.    The student completes all of the required ours outside of normal instructional time.
c.    The student does not receive course credit for participation in the activity.
d.    The student documents the activities on the form provided by the Board of Education.

Click here for the appropriate form for completing the Arts Endorsement.
 

In June 2024 and revised in December 2024, the State Board of Education approved the Citizenship Proficiency Diploma Endorsement. The requirements are based on legislation.  The Citizenship Proficiency Quick Guide provides direction for LEAs implementing procedures for the 2024-25 school year.

Quick Guide: https://docs.google.com/document/d/1Ns4oSRv2jSakjqI3fQUuNO1ao3S1xJ6LwlJxE35WXwQ/edit?usp=sharing

Student requirements are:

1. The opportunity to earn this endorsement shall be offered to interested Grade 12 high school students once/semester.
2. The PSU shall administer the endorsement test orally, in the format used the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) Naturalization Test, using the questions publicly available.
3. The PSU shall select 10 questions from those publicly available.
4. The student shall correctly answer at least 6 out of 10 questions asked of the civics portion of the USCIS Naturalization test.

Resources: Civics (History and Government) Questions for the Naturalization Test (2025 version)

NOTE:  The NC-SIS will not be computing the Citizenship Proficiency Endorsement this year.  LEAs and others may use local processes to award the endorsement. It will not appear on the transcript this year.