Historically, students have been given a class rank based on their weighted GPA.
Superintendent Lyndsay Huntsman said Advanced Placement, or AP, courses, which students can earn college credit for, carry more weight. However, the system doesn’t account for other classes providing rigorous coursework.
“We offer a lot of concurrent enrollment classes where kids are earning college credit and they are not weighted,” Huntsman said.
She said the district wants to move away from this system so students prioritize taking courses that prepare them for college or careers, rather than contribute to their GPA. The current system can also have an impact on mental health, as students are trying to “beat” their classmates.
Huntsman said many high schools are leaving weighted GPA and class ranking behind.
“We have seen a national trend of high schools across the nation moving away from class rank and weighted GPA, because when college admission reps view applications and transcripts, they unweight the GPA," she said. "They have their own methodology when they're reviewing student applications.”
Hunstman said the district will instead shift to a Latin Honors System where students can earn three levels of honors: cum laude, magna cum laude and suma cum laude.
The new system, Huntsman said, will award honor points to all rigorous coursework. That includes concurrent enrollment and AP courses, biliteracy earned through the dual language immersion program or completing vocational programs like the Certified Nursing Assistant Certificate.
Huntsman said the district originally wanted to implement the system in the 2025-2026 school year, but decided to wait.
“I received some feedback and information over the course of the last week, and made the decision to press pause because it's an opportunity for us to educate our families and our students on the potential impacts and what this entails,” she said.
The new system will be implemented in the 2026-2027 school year. Huntsman doesn’t anticipate any difficulties in the transition.
