Florida High School Graduation Requirements

Short answer

To earn a standard high school diploma in Florida through the usual 24 credit program, a student must complete 24 credits, earn a cumulative grade point average of at least 2.0 on a 4.0 scale, pass the statewide Grade 10 English Language Arts assessment or earn a concordant score, and pass the statewide Algebra 1 end of course assessment or earn a comparative score. The 24 credits include 4 credits in English Language Arts, 4 in mathematics, 3 in science, 3 in social studies, 1 in fine and performing arts, speech and debate, career and technical education, or practical arts, 1 in physical education including health, and elective credits. Students who entered Grade 9 in the 2023-2024 school year or later must also earn 0.5 credit in personal financial literacy, and their elective total is 7.5 credits rather than 8, so the total stays at 24. Florida also offers an 18 credit ACCEL option, a Career and Technical Education pathway, and International Baccalaureate and Advanced International Certificate of Education curricula. Confirm your cohort list with your counselor and district.

What a Standard Diploma Means

A standard diploma is awarded when a student meets the course, credit, assessment, and grade point average requirements set out mainly in section 1003.4282 and in Florida Department of Education guidance. It is not a certificate of completion or a high school equivalency credential, and colleges, employers, and scholarship programs may treat those credentials differently.

Florida law requires districts to notify students and parents in writing about diploma requirements, designations, and scholarship and postsecondary eligibility. If it does not match the transcript, ask the counselor to check credits earned, assessments passed, and requirements still open.

A cohort is the group entering Grade 9 in the same school year. Many rules apply by entry year, so students in the same school can face slightly different totals. This article describes the framework for entry in 2023-2024 and thereafter, and flags main differences for earlier cohorts. It is a general guide, not a substitute for a student’s own checklist.

Pathways to a Standard Diploma

The Florida Department of Education lists five options that can lead to a standard diploma for entry in 2023-2024 and thereafter, all available to all students, including students with disabilities, subject to each option’s rules and to any individual education plan provisions.

The first is the 24 credit program, the traditional route most students follow. The second is the 18 credit ACCEL option, Academically Challenging Curriculum to Enhance Learning. For the current cohort it requires 2.5 electives instead of 7.5, and no physical education, while core academics remain. It can allow earlier graduation, but college admission rules are separate from graduation rules, so check both.

The third is the Career and Technical Education pathway, described below. The fourth and fifth are the International Baccalaureate and Advanced International Certificate of Education curricula, complete curricula rather than single courses. Not every school offers them, so ask early about availability.

Dual enrollment, Advanced Placement, and honors courses can satisfy a subject requirement when eligible in the Florida Course Code Directory. Confirm that the specific course is coded for the specific requirement before enrolling.

Credit Requirements by Subject

The table below summarizes the 24 credit program for entry in 2023-2024 and thereafter.

| Subject area | Credits required | | English Language Arts | 4 | | Mathematics | 4 | | Science | 3 | | Social studies | 3 | | Personal financial literacy | 0.5 | | Fine and performing arts, speech and debate, career and technical education, or practical arts | 1 | | Physical education, including health | 1 | | Electives | 7.5 | | Total | 24 |

For entry before 2023-2024, electives total 8 credits with no separate personal financial literacy requirement. The total is still 24.

English Language Arts: 4 credits

The four credits must be in English Language Arts 1, 2, 3, and 4. Honors, Advanced Placement, AICE, IB, and dual enrollment courses may satisfy this when eligible under the Course Code Directory. The linked assessment is the Grade 10 English Language Arts assessment. A missed level usually needs to be made up.

Mathematics: 4 credits

One credit must be in Algebra 1 and one in Geometry. An industry certification with a statewide college credit articulation agreement approved by the State Board of Education may substitute for up to two mathematics credits, except Algebra 1 and Geometry. An identified computer science credit may substitute for up to one mathematics credit, except Algebra 1 and Geometry, when identified as equivalent in rigor. The same computer science credit cannot substitute for both mathematics and science. Counselors must warn students using an industry certification substitution that state university admission may require three additional mathematics credits at least as rigorous as Algebra 1, so a graduation substitution may not satisfy admission.

Science: 3 credits

One credit must be in Biology 1, and two must be in equally rigorous science courses. Two of the three must have a laboratory component, worth checking on a transcript. An industry certification with a statewide college credit articulation agreement may substitute for up to one science credit, except Biology 1. An identified computer science credit may substitute for up to one science credit, except Biology 1, when identified as equivalent in rigor, and cannot be used for both subjects.

The three credits are 1 credit in World History, 1 credit in United States History, 0.5 credit in United States Government, and 0.5 credit in Economics. The United States Government course must include a comparative discussion of political ideologies, such as communism and totalitarianism, that conflict with the principles of freedom and democracy essential to the founding principles of the United States, as stated in the statute. Students taking United States Government, including through dual enrollment and Advanced Placement, must take the assessment of civic literacy identified by the State Board of Education. According to the department’s advisement sheet, this score does not affect the course grade or graduation status, and a passing score exempts the student from the postsecondary civic literacy assessment.

Personal financial literacy: 0.5 credit

Beginning with entry in 2023-2024, each student must earn 0.5 credit in personal financial literacy and money management, covering bank accounts, balancing a checkbook, spending, credit, credit scores, managing debt, loan applications, inheritance, insurance, federal income taxes, local tax assessments, interest rates, simple contracts, contesting an incorrect billing statement, savings and investments, finance laws, and postsecondary costs, including the Free Application for Federal Student Aid, scholarships and grants, and student loans. This addition reduced electives for those cohorts from 8 to 7.5 credits. On a usual four year timetable, entry in fall 2023 is the first group that must complete it.

Fine and performing arts, speech and debate, career and technical education, or practical arts: 1 credit

One credit is required in fine or performing arts, speech and debate, or career and technical education. A practical arts course incorporating artistic content and techniques of creativity, interpretation, and imagination can also satisfy it, as identified in the Course Code Directory.

Physical education: 1 credit

One physical education credit is required in the 24 credit program and must include health. Alternatives in law include two full seasons of an interscholastic sport at junior varsity or varsity level, two years of marching band (which can satisfy physical education or performing arts), one semester at grade C or better in marching band, a physical activity class requiring marching band participation, or dance (0.5 credit in physical education or performing arts), and two years in a Reserve Officer Training Corps class with drills as a significant component (which can satisfy both). A district may not require the credit in Grade 9. Conditions apply, so confirm that an activity counts before relying on it.

Electives: 7.5 credits

Electives fill the remainder: 7.5 credits for entry in 2023-2024 and later, and 8 credits before that. Districts must offer coordinated electives, including opportunities to earn college credit through career programs or articulation agreements. University admission expectations can exceed graduation electives, so check those separately.

Assessment Requirements

Credits alone do not earn a diploma. Students must pass the statewide Grade 10 English Language Arts assessment, or earn a concordant score on an approved alternative, and pass the statewide Algebra 1 end of course assessment, or earn a comparative score. Approved alternatives and required scores can change, so use the current list for the student’s cohort.

The Algebra 1 EOC result constitutes 30 percent of the final course grade in Algebra 1. Students enrolled in Geometry, Biology 1, and United States History must take the corresponding end of course assessments, and each result constitutes 30 percent of that course grade. Geometry, Biology 1, and United States History therefore affect course grades even though they are not the two must pass graduation assessments.

Under the Credit Acceleration Program, known as CAP, a student can earn credit by passing an Advanced Placement, College Level Examination Program, or statewide course assessment without enrollment, for Algebra 1, Geometry, Biology 1, and United States History. The 30 percent rule does not apply in the same way then. Students in an English for Speakers of Other Languages program for less than two years may meet the Grade 10 requirement through formative assessments, under department rules, and the plan team may grant an assessment waiver for students with disabilities.

Grade Point Average and Grade Forgiveness

A student must earn a cumulative grade point average of 2.0 on a 4.0 scale. The department describes this as a 2.0 unweighted average for all cohort years. Weighted averages used for class rank or college admission may be higher, so do not confuse the two figures. A student who meets credit and assessment requirements but finishes below 2.0 has not met the diploma requirements.

Districts must adopt grade forgiveness policies within state limits. For required courses, D or F can be replaced only by C or higher earned subsequently in the same or comparable course. For electives, D or F can be replaced only by C or higher earned subsequently in another course. A middle grades student earning C, D, or F in a high school course must be allowed the same replacement in the same or comparable course. Only the new grade counts.

A student who earns the required credits but fails a required assessment or falls below 2.0 may elect to remain in high school full time or part time for up to one additional year, with special instruction to remedy the deficiencies. The department must also develop a document detailing options, including career education, adult education, apprenticeships, and the Graduation Alternative to Traditional Education program. Districts must give that document to each such student with the official transcript. Ask for it and for a written remediation plan.

Diploma Designations

Two designations in section 1003.4285 are additions to a standard diploma, not separate diplomas, for students meeting extra criteria.

Scholar designation

A Scholar student must meet all standard requirements, plus the following. In mathematics: one credit in Algebra 2 or an equally rigorous course, one credit in statistics or an equally rigorous course, and, for entry in 2014-2015 and later, a pass on the Geometry assessment. In science: a pass on the Biology 1 end of course assessment, one credit in chemistry or physics, and one credit equally rigorous to chemistry or physics. In social studies: a pass on the United States History end of course assessment. In foreign language: two credits in the same language. In electives: at least one credit in Advanced Placement, International Baccalaureate, Advanced International Certificate of Education, or dual enrollment. A student in a corresponding Advanced Placement, International Baccalaureate, or Advanced International Certificate of Education Biology or United States History course who takes that assessment and earns the minimum score for college credit meets that requirement without the statewide end of course assessment. Confirm the minimum score with the school.

Industry Scholar designation

An Industry Scholar student must meet standard requirements and attain one or more industry certifications from the list established under section 1003.492. This recognizes career readiness rather than the advanced academic pattern for Scholar. Older guides may call it the Merit designation; treat Industry Scholar as the current statutory term. The department’s sheet also mentions the Florida Seal of Biliteracy and the Florida Seal of Fine Arts, under separate statutes. Ask a counselor for current seal criteria.

The Career and Technical Education Pathway

This pathway is an alternative route to a standard diploma, not a lesser diploma. It requires at least 18 credits and a cumulative average of at least 2.0 on a 4.0 scale. A student must meet the core English, mathematics, science, and social studies requirements, plus personal financial literacy for entry in 2023-2024 and later. The student must also complete two career and technical education credits resulting in a program completion and an industry certification, plus elective or work based learning credits: 1.5 credits for entry in 2023-2024 and later, and 2 credits before that. Physical education is not required, and the fine arts block is not required separately in the same way, because career coursework forms part of the pathway.

Districts must include this pathway in their student progression plan. Before choosing it, check local availability, whether it leads to program completion and certification rather than credits alone, and whether university admission requires more coursework.

How Requirements Vary by Cohort Year

The table below summarizes the main differences in this article. It is not complete, and your district cohort sheet governs in any conflict.

Other cohort rules exist: Scholar Geometry from entry in 2014-2015, the Career and Technical Education pathway from 2019-2020, and the 24 credit framework from entry in 2013-2014. Earlier entrants follow earlier frameworks. Rules can change during high school, so recheck the checklist each school year.

Transfer Students

Transfer rules protect some prior coursework while still requiring must pass assessments in defined cases, and they turn on what the transcript shows, so bring a complete transcript and assessment records to enrollment.

If a transcript shows Algebra 1 credit for a student transferring to a Florida public high school from out of country, out of state, a private school, a personalized education program, or a home education program, the student must pass the statewide Algebra 1 end of course assessment, unless the student earned a comparative score, passed a statewide Algebra 1 assessment from the transferring entity, or passed that entity’s statewide mathematics assessment used for federal Elementary and Secondary Education Act requirements. If the transcript shows high school reading or English Language Arts 2 or 3 credit, the student must take and pass the statewide Grade 10 English Language Arts assessment, or earn a concordant score.

If the transcript shows a final grade and credit in Algebra 1, Geometry, Biology 1, or United States History, that grade and credit are honored without retaking that end of course assessment and without the 30 percent rule. Districts still evaluate transcripts against the Course Code Directory and their progression plans, so ask for a written transfer evaluation and query any missing or miscoded credit promptly.

Exceptional Student Provisions in General Terms

Additional standard diploma options for students with disabilities are decided through the individual education plan process, not by a student or parent alone. A parent, with the plan team during transition planning, declares an intent to graduate with a standard diploma. If the plan declares an intent to earn a certificate of completion, the district must revise that intent at the annual review.

For a student for whom the team determines the Florida Alternate Assessment is most appropriate, options can include course substitutions, assessments, industry certifications, acceleration options, or occupational completion points suited to the student’s skills, or a portfolio of evidence of mastery of academic standards. For a student for whom mastery of academic and employment competencies is most appropriate, options can include documented completion of minimum requirements, documented achievement of transition plan goals, documented successful employment for the hours in the transition plan for one semester equivalent at a federally compliant minimum wage, and documented mastery verified by the team, employer, and teacher. Any change to the plan’s graduation option needs parent approval and verification by an independent reviewer selected by the parent.

Students with disabilities may also choose two options only available to them, substituting a career and technical education course with related content for one credit in English Language Arts 4, mathematics, science, and social studies, excluding Algebra 1, Geometry, Biology 1, United States History, World History, United States Government, and Economics. One is for students with a most significant cognitive disability, using access courses and an alternate assessment. The other is the academic and employment option, requiring at least 0.5 credit through paid employment plus standard requirements. A student meeting standard requirements may defer receipt of the diploma if the plan prescribes services through age 21 and the student is enrolled in accelerated college credit, industry certification courses leading to college credit, an early college program, Scholar courses, or a structured work study, internship, or preapprenticeship program. An assessment waiver by the team needs parent approval and independent reviewer verification. The plan itself governs.

What to Confirm With Your School District

Districts administer state minimums through progression plans, catalogs, counseling materials, and transcript reviews. Confirm the cohort year and exact credit sheet, and keep a written copy with the transcript. Confirm that each planned course is coded for the requirement it should satisfy. Confirm assessment status in writing, including must pass results, accepted alternative scores, end of course grade effects, and any civic literacy exemption. Confirm whether the graduation average is the unweighted cumulative figure, confirm designation progress separately, and confirm transfer evaluations, grade forgiveness, and plan provisions in writing, with deadlines. Confirm postsecondary plans separately, because graduation, university admission, scholarship eligibility, and career entry can each differ. Recheck yearly and again in the final semester.

Common Mistakes

First, treating 24 credits as the only gate: credits, assessments, and grade point average must all be met. Second, confusing course grade assessments with must pass assessments: Geometry, Biology 1, and United States History affect course grades, while the must pass assessments are Grade 10 English Language Arts and Algebra 1. Third, using an older guide for a current cohort: electives, financial literacy, and pathway electives changed by cohort. Fourth, assuming a graduation substitution also satisfies college admission. Fifth, assuming an older online course description still applies: the current department sheet for entry in 2023-2024 and thereafter does not list a separate online course credit in its 24 credit table, so confirm district practice. Sixth, leaving designation planning late: Scholar language credits must be in the same language, and Industry Scholar requires program completion, not enrollment alone. Seventh, assuming transfer coursework maps automatically: districts evaluate against Florida codes, so get a written evaluation.

Frequently Asked Questions

How many credits do you need to graduate high school in Florida?

In the standard program, 24 credits: 4 in English Language Arts, 4 in mathematics, 3 in science, 3 in social studies, 0.5 in personal financial literacy for entry in 2023-2024 and later, 1 in fine arts or career and technical education or practical arts, 1 in physical education including health, and 7.5 electives. ACCEL and the Career and Technical Education pathway require at least 18 credits.

What GPA do you need to graduate high school in Florida?

A cumulative average of at least 2.0 on a 4.0 scale, described as unweighted. Weighted averages for class rank or admission are different figures, so check which average your school reports for graduation.

What tests do you have to pass to graduate high school in Florida?

The statewide Grade 10 English Language Arts assessment or a concordant score, and the statewide Algebra 1 end of course assessment or a comparative score. Geometry, Biology 1, and United States History results also count for 30 percent of those course grades.

Do you need personal financial literacy to graduate in Florida?

For entry in 2023-2024 or later, yes: 0.5 credit in personal financial literacy and money management. For earlier entry, that separate requirement does not appear in the same way, and electives total 8 credits rather than 7.5. Confirm your cohort with your school.

What is the difference between the 24 credit diploma and the 18 credit ACCEL option?

The 24 credit diploma is the traditional program, including physical education and 7.5 electives for the current cohort. ACCEL requires at least 18 credits, no physical education, and 2.5 electives for the current cohort, while keeping core academics. It can allow earlier graduation but leaves less elective room and may not match college admission expectations.

What is the Career and Technical Education pathway?

An alternative standard diploma pathway requiring at least 18 credits and a 2.0 average. It requires core English, mathematics, science, and social studies, plus financial literacy for current cohorts, two career and technical education credits resulting in program completion and industry certification, and elective or work based learning credits: 1.5 for entry in 2023-2024 and later, and 2 before that.

What is the Scholar designation?

An addition to a standard diploma requiring Algebra 2 and statistics credits, Geometry, Biology 1, and United States History passes, chemistry or physics plus an equally rigorous course, two credits in the same foreign language, and at least one Advanced Placement, International Baccalaureate, Advanced International Certificate of Education, or dual enrollment credit, with defined program assessment exemptions.

What is the Industry Scholar designation?

An addition to a standard diploma for students meeting standard requirements and attaining one or more industry certifications from the list under section 1003.492. It recognizes career readiness. Older guides may call it the Merit designation.

Can you graduate early in Florida?

Yes, in defined ways, notably through ACCEL at 18 credits, through the Career and Technical Education pathway at 18 credits, and through Credit Acceleration Program credit without enrollment in defined cases. Grade point average and must pass assessment requirements still apply, and college admission rules should be checked first.

What happens if you do not pass a required test or fall below a 2.0 GPA?

You do not earn a standard diploma until the missing requirement is met, even with all credits completed. You may elect to remain in high school full time or part time for up to one additional year with remedial instruction. Districts must also provide an options document with the transcript. Ask for it and for a written remediation plan.

Do transfer students have to retake all Florida tests?

No, not automatically. Final grades and credits in Algebra 1, Geometry, Biology 1, or United States History are honored without retaking those assessments and without the 30 percent rule. Must pass rules still apply where stated. Ask for a written transfer evaluation.

Where can you check your own graduation requirements?

Start with your school counselor and district progression plan, and ask for your cohort credit sheet and a transcript audit. At state level, use the department advisement sheet for entry in 2023-2024 and thereafter, and sections 1003.4282 and 1003.4285. The state and district sheets together are more reliable than a general guide alone.

Keep reading: Online High School Diploma for Adults

Keep reading: What Is a GED? A High School Equivalency Credential, Explained

Sources & references

Florida Department of Education. Academic Advisement: Students Entering Grade 9 in 2023-2024 and Thereafter. Verified 2 November 2026. https://cdn.fldoe.org/file/7764/aaflyer-2324thereafter.pdf
Florida Statutes, section 1003.4282, Requirements for a standard high school diploma. Text as reproduced in the 2025 Florida Statutes. Verified 2 November 2026. https://law.justia.com/codes/florida/title-xlviii/chapter-1003/part-iv/section-1003-4282/
Florida Statutes, section 1003.4285, Standard high school diploma designations. Verified 2 November 2026 through the statute text and cross checked against the Florida Department of Education advisement sheet. https://codes.findlaw.com/fl/title-xlviii-k20-education-code/fl-st-sect-1003-4285/

Emma Hudson

Editor of Amberaisle — clear, thoughtful explainers for curious readers. More about the editor →