This topic largely depends on the school district, as each district has its own rules, policies, and grading scales for calculating a student’s grade, GPA, and overall rank. I will provide an overview of how it is calculated in my school district, which I hope will help you better understand how to compare it with the policies at your own school.

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Grades:

Throughout the school year, teachers are required to administer a combination of daily grades and major grades. Typically, assessments covering material taught over a few days to a week fall under daily grades, while those covering content learned over two or more weeks are considered major grades. These assessments are not always written tests—class presentations and project work can also count toward both daily and major grades.

 

Overview:

 

• A Year has 4 terms, and each term has 6 Daily and 3 major grades.

• 50% of Daily and 50% of Major grades are the final grade of the subject per term.

• Ex: Consider scores in English on a single Term

  • Term 1: Overall T1 % score (50% DT + 50% MT) = 90.13

    • Daily (Scores out of 100)

      • Daily Total % - 89.93

        • DT1 – 83

        • DT2 – 97

        • DT3 – 90

        • DT4 – 87

        • DT5 – 93

        • DT6 - 89

    • Major (Scores out of 100)

      • Major Total % - 90.33

        • MT1 – 90

        • MT2 -86

        • MT3 – 95

    • 25% of each term is the final grade of the entire year per subject.

    • Note that any score below 70 is considered a Fail grade and the student is encouraged to take a re-test. On a re-test the maximum a student can earn is 75.

    • Letter Grades​

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GPA: Grade Point Average

In my school district, GPA is calculated on a 100-point scale and then converted into a weighted 4.0 GPA scale. The 100-point scale is used to determine a student’s class rank, while the 4.0 GPA is primarily used by colleges and universities during the admissions process.

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The 100-point scale is determined by averaging all semester grades earned by a student and dividing by the total number of semesters. Based on this scale, the following honor ranks are awarded:

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• Valedictorian – Highest cumulative GPA

• Salutatorian – Second highest cumulative GPA

• Summa Cum Laude – GPA of 97 or higher

• Magna Cum Laude – GPA between 96 and 93

• Cum Laude – GPA between 92 and 90

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To ensure fairness, advanced courses receive additional weight in GPA calculations. The weighting system is as follows:

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Conversion Examples with sample data:

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Ranking:

Class rank in Texas holds significant importance due to a law granting automatic admission to Texas public universities for students in the top 10% of their class.

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Class rank is determined using a 100-point weighted GPA scale to ensure fairness for all students. The student with the highest cumulative GPA is named valedictorian, while the second highest earns the title of salutatorian.

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Only students that fall in the top 10% of the class receive a rank and a Transcript for the same is available to the student.

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personal note...

In my opinion, the 10% automatic admission policy does not guarantee a student’s choice of major. In fact, due to the high competition and demand in Texas, UT Austin has reduced this threshold to 5% starting in 2025. Even with this change, admission to a specific major is not guaranteed.

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It’s also important to note that across the U.S., the college admissions process follows a holistic approach. This means that academic success alone is not sufficient—students are expected to demonstrate personal interests and passions through extracurricular activities. I believe this is an excellent approach, as it makes the process fairer for students from all backgrounds.

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A student with a personal project, internship, or volunteering experience may have an advantage over a valedictorian without extracurricular activities. Similarly, an accomplished athlete with a 3.0 GPA may be viewed more favorably than someone who simply excels academically. This reflects the value placed on discipline, perseverance, and dedication in the U.S. admissions process.

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With these factors in mind, students and their families can make informed decisions about what path is best for them. As I go through my own college admissions journey, I hope to continue adding insights to this topic. I also plan to share more details about how GPA and class rank can impact scholarship opportunities.

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Ever wonder what it takes to be a valedictorian??? Well, with my 100.45 weighted GPA, I still landed around 20th in my class—so I’m guessing a little magic, superpowers, or a sprinkle of fairy dust might just do the trick! ✨🎓​

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