From Grades to Grade Point Average
What is a GPA?
Now that you have assigned grades for your high schooler’s work, it’s time to calculate your teen’s grade point average for the school year. You can read about high school grades at High-School and Grades
Grade Point Average or GPA is a numeral calculated by assigning a numerical value to letter grades and is included in the your high schooler’s report card and transcripts.
You taught your kids to add, subtract, multiply and divide, so you are more than capable of computing your high schooler’s GPA. You can use your calculator or if you need more help, a resource is available for you.
Yearly GPA
To calculate the GPA for a year,
- Convert each letter grade for a course to points. Typically,
A = 4 points; B = 3 points; C = 2 points; D = 1 point; F = 0 points
If your grading system includes pluses and minuses, add 0.3 to the grade points for a ‘plus’ and minus 0.3 for a ‘minus.’ So A+ would be 4.3 points and A- would be 3.7 points, etc.
- Multiply the course points by the credit for the course to get ‘grade points’
- Total the grade points
- Divide the grade points by the number of credits to get your GPA
Grade 9 Example
| Course Title | Grade | Points | Credit earned | Grade points |
| English 9 | A – | 3.7 | 1.0 | 3.7 x 1.0 = 3.7 |
| Algebra I | A | 4.0 | 1.0 | 4.0 x 1.0 = 4.0 |
| Biology with lab | B | 3.0 | 1.0 | 3.0 x 1.0 = 3.0 |
| Geography | C+ | 2.3 | 1.0 | 2.3 x 1.0 = 2.3 |
| Latin I | A | 4.0 | 1.0 | 4.0 x 1.0 = 4.0 |
| Logic | B | 3.0 | 0.5 | 3.0 x 0.5 = 1.5 |
| Fine Arts: Piano | B | 3.0 | 0.5 | 3.0 x 0.5 = 1.5 |
| Theology | A | 4.0 | 1.0 | 4.0 x 1.0 = 4.0 |
Total grade points 24.0
Total number of credits 7.0
GPA = 24.0 ÷ 7.0 = 3.43
Repeat the process for each year/grade to get the GPA for each grade.
For pass/fail courses, credits are counted for the number of credits, but not for computing GPA. For example, if total credits were 7.0, but included one pass/fail class for 0.5 credits, then the total credits for calculating the GPA would be 6.5.
Honors and Advanced Placement
If your teen earns a credit for an honors course, points go up by 0.5.
A = 4.5 points B = 3.5 points C = 2.5 points D = 1.5 points
For Advanced Placement course, 1.0 is added to the points.
A = 5.0 points; B = 4.0 points; C = 3.0 points; D = 2.0 points
Cumulative GPA
The cumulative GPA provides a summary of your teen’s high school years. Because the number of credits may vary per school year, the cumulative GPA is not an average of the yearly GPAs.
To calculate the cumulative GPA, add all the grade points for each grade level. Divide that total by the total number of credits; remember to exclude the pass/fail credit.
| Grade | Grade points | Divided | Number of credits | Cumulative GPA |
| 9th grade | 9th grade points | divided | 9th grade credits | 9th grade cumulative GPA |
| 10th grade | 9th + 10th grade points | divided | 9th + 10th grade credits | 10th grade cumulative GPA |
| 11th grade | 9th + 10th + 11th grade points | divided | 9th + 10th +11th grade credits | 11th grade cumulative GPA |
| 12th grade | 9th + 10th + 11th + 12th grade points | divided | 9th + 10th +11th + 12th grade credits | 12th grade cumulative GPA |
Helpful Resource
Yes, a lot of addition, multiplication and division. A calculator or a friend to check your calculations would be helpful or try the GPA Calculator //gpacalculator.io/high-school-gpa-calculator/
If you have any questions, feel free to email CHOH at info@christianhomeschoolersofhawaii.org
High School – Next Step: High School Transcripts
