Rutherford County Schools Graduation Requirements
Total Credits Required: 23 credits
In addition to the 23 credits required for graduation, students must also take the ACT and Civics test.
Blackman Collegiate Academy members must also have a .5 credit in Speech (Honors or Dual Enrollment) or Critical Thinking and a .5 credit of Honors Senior Capstone.
Graduation with Honors
Students who score at or above all of the subject area readiness benchmarks on the ACT or equivalent score on the SAT.
ACT Benchmarks: English (18), Math (22), Reading (22), and Science (23)
Graduation with Distinction
Students who attain a 3.0 GPA and complete at least one of the following:
Valedictorian/Salutatorian Criteria for the Graduating Class of 2020 to 2022:
Valedictorian/Salutatorian shall be the student(s) who attain(s) the highest grade point average for grades 9-12 and;
- valedictorian/salutatorian shall have taken a minimum of twelve (12) honors or above honors level courses and;
- valedictorian/salutatorian shall meet all requirements for a student graduating with honors and a student graduating with distinction pursuant to the Tennessee Board of Education’s criteria.
- requirements for valedictorian/salutatorian must be completed by the end of the 7th semester.
Valedictorian/Salutatorian Criteria for the Graduating Class of 2023 and beyond:
Valedictorian/Salutatorian shall be the student(s) who attain(s) the highest grade point average for grades 9-12 and;
- valedictorian/salutatorian shall have taken a minimum of twelve (12) honors or above honors level courses and;
- valedictorian/salutatorian shall meet all requirements for a student graduating with distinction pursuant to the Tennessee Board of Education’s criteria.
- in the event multiple students meet the aforementioned criteria, then the highest achieved ACT composite will serve as the final determination criteria.