San José Unified School District | High School Graduation Requirements

In 1998, the Board of Education of San José Unified School District approved new high school graduation requirements which are among the most rigorous in California. All high school students beginning with the Class of 2002 will be held to the "new" standards. Students already in high school at the time the new standards were implemented-students graduating before 2002, will continue to be held to the "old" standard.

Course	Years	Credits*
English	4	40
Social Science	3.5	35
Mathematics	3	30
Science	3	30 (2 years lab science)
Foreign Language	2	20 (2 years same language recommended)
Visual/Performing Arts	2	20 (maximum of 10 in Applied Arts)
Physical Education	2	20
Electives		45
Total		240

Breakdown per grade level
To Enter	Credits Required
10th grade	60
11th grade	120
12th grade	180

In addition to the course requirements, all students graduating in 2002 and beyond must complete 40 hours of community service.
*All courses are college preparatory level courses
*All courses fulfill University of California/California State University admission requirements

Community Services

As part San José Unified's graduation requirements, beginning with graduating Class of 2002, students must complete 40 hours of community service. In order to inform our students about the various service opportunities available, we are providing students with the chance to connect with service agencies by hosting community service faires at all of our high schools. At each faire between 20-40 agencies talk with students about the areas in which they can perform service. These agencies represent service opportunities from forest restoration to tutoring.