How Many Credits to Graduate High School in Minnesota?

Are you a student wondering what it’ll take to graduate from high school in Minnesota? If yes, here’s a detailed article to help. High school is an important phase of your academics, and you don’t want to make costly mistakes. One essential information you’ll need to arm yourself with is the high school graduation requirements. High school requirements differ from state to state.

Here’s a review of the Minnesota high school graduation requirements and tops to help you through these requirements.

What Do Credits Mean in High School?

Credits are one of the primary methods most schools all over the world use to determine students’ fulfilment of academic requirements needed to pass a course. Credits are awarded upon the completion of a course or school program. It’s the evidence that you’ve passed the said course. In the United States, credits are often awarded based on Carnegie units or instruction time (usually 120 hours). However, the actual duration of credit-bearing courses often varies from the Carnegie unit standard.

Most Minnesota public high schools require the accumulation of credits to graduate high school. Credit unit numbers are typically left to schools and districts to decide. However, states may still fix a minimum credit requirement, and schools must use it as a bar to set theirs. For example, if a state requires students to earn at least 16 credit units to qualify for a high school diploma, schools may choose to peg their credit requirement at 22 credits or higher. Although credit unit requirements typically vary from state to state, they serve the same purpose.

In the state of Minnesota, the needed credit score to graduate high school is a minimum of 21.5-course credits. These credit scores are spread over required courses for a student to graduate. The course and scores are as follows;

• 4 credits in language and arts
• 3 credits in mathematics (including algebra, geometry, statistics, and probability)
• 3 credits in Science (including chemistry and biology, chemistry and physics)
• 5 in social studies (including world history, government, U.S. history, economics, and world geography)
• 5 credits in physical education
• 5 credits in health education
• 1 credit in humanities and arts
• 6 credits in other elective courses

All credit scores total 21.5 credit scores minimum to graduate high school. Every student must earn a minimum of 21.5 credit score to meet the Minnesota high school requirements for graduation. Anything less will require an extra year in high school with much-needed effort to graduate.

What Classes are Required to Graduate in Minnesota?

Classes that are required for Minnesota high school graduation include;

• English language and Arts
• Mathematics – algebra, geometry, and statistics/probability
• Science – biology one credit, two additional credits preferably in physics and chemistry
• Social studies – social U.S. history, geography, world history, government and citizenship, and economics
• Arts
• Other elective courses

Some school districts may have additional requirements for graduation, depending on the set law by the district’s education authority. Students can also choose from the available elective courses based on school requirements. Elective courses to select from in Minnesota high schools include:

• World languages for a minimum of two years
• Computer classes, although not a part of the Minnesota high school graduation requirements, are often recommended because of the added boost they’ll give your college application.

What Credits Do You Need to Graduate High School in M.N.?

A strong high school curriculum will not only improve your chances of getting into high school. It’ll also help you become successful in college because most college courses build on the skills and knowledge you’ll acquire in high school. So it makes sense to carefully select your courses based on their credit units and how relevant they’ll be to your dream field in college.

That said, here’s a breakdown of the Minnesota credits to graduate high school.

Courses	Credit Score
English and Arts	4 credits
Mathematics	3 credits
Science (including biology, physics, and chemistry)	2 credits
Social studies (including world history, government, and economics)	3 credits
Physical education	0.5 credit
Health	0.5 credit
Humanities and Arts	1 credit
Other electives (including world languages and computers).	6 credits

Depending on your district or school, there may be a few additional requirements of overall courses and credit scores not captured in this table.

Is the ACT Required to Graduate High School in Minnesota?

While discussing credits to graduate high school, one question that often pops up is, “Is the ACT Required to Graduate High School in Minnesota?”

The simple answer to the above question is yes; ACT is a requirement to graduate high school in Minnesota. In fact, Minnesota was the 12th state to adopt the ACT as a high school graduation requirement. However, this decision didn’t settle well with most teachers and top educators in the state when the law was first implemented. But it didn’t take long before it became a popular decision. The lawmakers who voted it to be a requirement for high school graduation had the initial hope that the ACTs would replace both the GRAD and the Minnesota comprehensive assessments (MCAs) required under federal accountability rules.

Minnesota fully funds the ACTs because it believes it is vital to test students’ college readiness rather than have high school exit exams, even though they have less control over how the national college assessments are designed.

Despite the ongoing debate about the ACT’s importance and effects, Minnesota has maintained its stance on the exam, making it a basic Minnesota high school graduation requirement.

Minnesota High School Graduation Requirements

Students frequently ask what the Minnesota high school graduation requirements are, and that’s a very important question. According to Minnesota Department of Education, students in Minnesota are required to complete two kinds of requirements by the time they graduate.

• Every student is required to meet the state course credit requirements under Minnesota statutes section 120B.024.
• Every student must complete all state or local academic standards, where state standards do not apply.

Students are to take and complete core courses of study to help equip them with knowledge and skills to succeed in higher education, skills, and work life. Each student’s coursework should include the minimum state course credit requirements. Each course credit is proportional to a student successfully completing an academic year of study and mastering various subjects as approved by the local school district. As stated earlier, students must have a minimum of 21.5 credit scores to meet the Minnesota credits score to graduate.

Wrapping Things Up: How Many Credits to Graduate High School in Minnesota?

Before you begin thinking about college, you need to pass through high school. So, high school is a critical part of any student’s life. However, there’s often one bridge between high school and college: passing high school examinations. Graduating high school is not as easy as many people think. It needs commitment, determination, and hard work. One question that always pops up when discussing high school graduation is the number of credits needed to graduate high school.

Unfortunately, many people find out the required credit load rather late. Finding it out earlier helps you prepare better for what lies ahead. This article reviewed everything you should know about Minnesota high school graduation requirements and the number of credits required. We’ve also provided a few tips to help you meet these requirements and prepare for college.