A credit is the equivalent of 150 classroom hours. A half credit is 75 hours. The exception is Distributive Education (credit for working a job), where 1 credit is 300 hours. The 150-hour requirement is important for courses such as P.E. or Instrumental Music to ensure that adequate work has been completed. Other courses (such as Algebra I) contain a definite body of material. If a student masters the entire high-school course in less than 150 hours, he/she is entitled to receive full credit in such cases.

To graduate, students must complete a minimum of 22 credits, including all requirements for their course of study (College Path or General Course of Study). When transferring from another school, bear in mind that not all credits from other schools transfer, and some courses have prerequisites in order to receive credit. To graduate a student in 4 years, plan an average of 5.5 credits each school year. The maximum number of credits per year is 8 credits, and the maximum for a semester is 4 credits.

High school students usually take an English credit and a math credit every year, and a science credit in at least 3 of the 4 years. You should add enough required courses and/or electives to total 5 to 8 credits per year. This will keep the student on track to graduate in four years. It’s best to start foreign language credits early so that you have plenty of time to complete them. We also recommend considering more credits in the first 2 years to allow more flexibility in the junior and senior years for jobs, college visits, etc. To help, we’ve provided printable Planning Sheets (see documents below) with our graduation requirements and space to mark your work and plans. If you’ve completed a year of high school with us, you can use the evaluation sheet from your counselor to see what’s been completed and what graduation requirements remain.

Electives are courses other than those specifically required. They provide opportunities for your students to earn high-school credits while pursuing their interests. Electives can be either high school level work in a unique subject (e.g. Home Economics, Debate, or Computer Applications), or additional credits in required subjects after requirements are met (e.g. additional credits of Bible, PE, or music). When entering an elective in your Education Plan, list the materials or describe activities planned in the curriculum space.

Electives allow students to pursue their interests, prepare for college, and/or advance career plans. Choosing electives is a great opportunity to discuss what they’re considering after high school and what their skills and strengths are. A student interested in the outdoors might want to get involved in the local 4H and study Horticulture. (Note that 4H itself does not earn high school credit, but it may be a spring board for courses such as Horticulture, Animal Husbandry, etc.) Techie students could take Computer Coding or Typing/Keyboarding. Elective possibilities are practically endless! If you need some ideas, we have listed some of the popular electives HERE. And, of course, we’re always available by phone or email to discuss other elective ideas. To graduate, students must take 2-6 electives. (The College Path Plan requires 2, and the General Course of Study requires 6.)

A credit of high-school English typically includes Grammar, Composition (Writing), and Literature. The emphasis placed on each of these aspects of language arts may vary in different school years. Typically, one credit of English is earned over a regular (two-semester) school year.

All high-school students must complete four math credits to graduate. College Path students must take Algebra I, Geometry, Algebra II, and another math. For higher math, Pre-Calculus follows Algebra II, but other courses such as Consumer Math and Business Math are also acceptable as a fourth math.  Pre-Algebra is recommended before Algebra I and typically taken in 8th grade. If taken in 8th grade it does not earn high school credit. However, for the less math-oriented, Pre-Algebra may be taken in 9th grade for high-school credit. Non-College-Path students are not required to take higher math courses.

All high school students must take at least 3 credits of science. College Path students must take either Biology, Chemistry, or Physics with a lab. Physical Science is an introduction to Chemistry and Physics. So, if it is taken, it should be done before Chemistry and Physics.

A full-credit course should cover United States history from Pre-Colonial times to the present day.

Foreign language materials must cover what would be covered in a traditional high-school foreign language course. This includes vocabulary, grammar, and the culture(s) of those who speak the language. College Path students should take two years of the same foreign language.

One PE credit is 150 hours of physical activity of an athletic or sporting nature. This can be completed in one year or in half-credits over two years. Additional PE credit may be earned as an elective. When entering PE in your Education Plan, list the physical activities planned in the curriculum space.

Distributive Education is credit received for working a job outside the home in which they are paid and supervised. 300 hours of work are required for 1 credit. When entering Distributive Education in your Ed Plan, list the nature of the work and the place of business in the curriculum space.

One Bible credit is 150 hours of personal and/or group Bible study on a high school level. When entering Bible credit in your Education Plan, list the teaching materials and/or version of the Bible (e.g. KJV) in the curriculum space.

For high school students, a summer session is typically 55-60 days. A summer term is a continuation of the previous school year and can be used to complete courses done only during the summer, or to complete the second half (0.5) credit of a course begun in the spring or it can be the first half of a course to be completed in the fall. The summer plan should be submitted prior to beginning the summer term. Up to 3 credits may be earned in the summer. Taking 1 credit of math and 1 credit of English in the summer is a great way to accelerate or catch up in high school, since it puts the student forward a grade. Also, a summer job can be counted as Distributive Education credit if at least one academic course is also taken in that summer. Please submit your plan for the summer session as soon as possible so that the credits can be approved by your counselor before you begin.

You can complete high school in less than the typical four years, by doing greater credit loads and adding English in one or more summer sessions. A student who plans graduation before his/her 17th birthday, should take an ACT/SAT and score a minimum composite of 18 ACT or 840 SAT in order to graduate before his/her 17th birthday.

Gateway doesn’t typically offer "Honors" or "AP" courses. We’ll transfer courses from other schools that use these designations, but these courses will not have extra weight in Gateway's GPA. Our GPA calculation is "unweighted" for all courses (i.e., A=4.0, B=3.0, etc.).

To graduate, a student must complete all of Gateway’s graduation requirements (see the page HERE) and be enrolled with Gateway for at least one semester immediately preceding graduation.

Make sure all grades and attendance have been reported.​ Then, contact us by email (preferred), phone, mail, or fax. Requests should include the student's full name, date of birth, and year of graduation. Please give us instructions as to where and how (mail, fax, or email) to send the transcripts. ​Typically, we send out a transcript within 10 business days of receiving the request, so be aware of deadlines and make your request early. Let us know of any deadlines you’re facing. See our contact information HERE.