The minimum credits required by the state of Texas for a student to be eligible for graduation are:
English Language Arts - 4 credits
- English l (1 credit)
- English ll (1 credit)
- English lll (1 credit)
- Additional HS level English Course (1 credit)Mathmatics - 3 credits
- Algebra 1 (1 credit)
- Geometry (1 credit)
- Additional HS level Math Course (1 credit)
(Algebra 2 is not required for the minimum graduation requirements in Texas, but is recommended.)Science - 3 credits
- Biology (1 credit)
- Chemistry OR IPC (1 credit)
- Additional HS level Science course (1 credit)Social Studies - 3 credits
- World History OR World Geography (1 credit)
- US History (1 credit)
- US Government (1/2 Credit)
- US Economics (1/2 Credit)Foreign Language - 2 credits
- 2 years of the same Language other than English OR 2 years of Computer Science l, ll and lll
(1 credit for each year taken)Fine Arts - 1 credit
Physical Education - 1 credit
Electives - 5 credits
TOTAL: 22 credits
Most local highschools have moved to an “Endorsement” program, requiring an additional 4 credits in the vein of what the student would potentially major in or study in college, bringing the total number of credits to 26. While this isn’t required, it is good to know as parents, that these are the credentials of the students that your child will be going up against for college admissions. If you have a child that plans to competitively pursue academics in college, you should take the more advanced route requiring more credits, among other things, for his/her transcript. For more information on the Texas Graduation Requirements and the Endorsement Graduation Plan click HERE.