All students must meet District 211 graduation requirements to be eligible to receive a diploma. Students will complete a four-year course plan with assistance from their assigned school counselor. The four-year plan accounts for all requirements as well as elective courses connected to a student's individualized areas of interest.

Students must complete a minimum of twenty (20) units of credit, including the following:

1. Complete 18 academic units of credit.
2. Complete 2 units of physical education credit (.25 credit for each semester of attendance).
3. Successfully complete:
   • One unit of Unites States History
   • One unit of Social Science Survey or 1/2 unit each of Government and Economics
   • Three units of mathematics course work, with successful completion of a 300-level course. One of the three required units must be Algebra 1, and one unit must include Geometry content
   • Two units of science (1 year-Biological science, 1 year-Additional lab science)
   • One unit of art, world language, music, or vocational education (Applied Technology, Business Education, Family and Consumer Science)
   • Four units of English
   • Two years of writing-intensive courses, one of which must be English.
   • One-half unit of Consumer Education (or equivalent)
   • One-half unit of Health
4. Complete 30 hours of instruction in safety education (Driver education classroom instruction).
5. Pass a qualifying examination of the State and Federal Constitutions, Declaration of Independence, use of the American flag, and the Australian (secret ballot) method of voting.
6. Participate in State testing at an appropriate level.

The chart below compares the academic expectations of various post-high school opportunities available to graduates. It is intended only as a general guide. Colleges expect a student to program at least four core academic subjects into each year. Those college preparatory subjects are: English, Mathematics, Science, Social Studies, and World Languages. Highly selective institutions require greater numbers of these core academics.

Counselors act as a resource but many specific questions are better directed to the college or university admissions staff. Final decisions are always up to the colleges. They are usually based on the number of academic courses and the grade point average in those courses, as well as the student's scores on standardized admissions tests (ACT, SAT).

Requirements for admission to individual colleges and universities vary. Students who cannot maintain a "C" grade average (2.0) in high school may have some difficulty qualifying for college entrance. Some colleges may admit students with lower grade point averages, but who score well on entrance exams.

* Additional District 211 requirements include: health, consumer education, driver education, and 4 years of Wellness.

** World Language preparation may be recommended or required by colleges or universities. State-supported universities in Illinois may accept vocational education or fine arts courses in lieu of foreign language. Check with a counselor for details.