Every figure below was read from the state’s own statute, regulation or education department page on September 13, 2026, and each row names the source.
A standard high school diploma in the United States usually takes 20 to 24 credits, including four years of English, three or four of math, three of science and three or four of social studies, but “usually” is doing real work in that sentence. States do not all count the same way. Texas, Florida, New York, North Carolina and Virginia set a credit total. California sets a list of courses and leaves it to districts to decide how many credits those add up to. Pennsylvania and Massachusetts set no statewide total at all and leave it to the district. And in six states a student must still clear a test or an approved alternative on top of the coursework. Canada sets its requirements province by province instead of state by state. The Canadian high school diploma is covered separately.
One rule holds everywhere. The requirements that apply to a student are the ones in force when that student first entered ninth grade, and not the ones in force in the year they graduate. Virginia writes this into its regulation word for word, and North Carolina publishes its requirements by entering class for the same reason. If you are checking requirements for a student already in high school, or for yourself years later, start from the entering year.
What eight large states require
These eight cover roughly a third of US public high school students and, more usefully, they cover every model in use, from credit totals and course lists to local control, verified credits and must-pass exams. The Education Commission of the States 50-state comparison is the anchor for anything outside this table. It is the only national source that tracks all 50 states in one place, and its current edition dates from May 2023, so check the state’s own page before relying on any figure from it.
| State | What the state requires | Test or pathway requirement | Source |
|---|---|---|---|
| California | No state credit total. Thirteen year-long courses: 3 English, 2 math, 2 science (biological and physical), 3 social studies (US history and geography, world history, one semester of American government and civics, one semester of economics), 1 visual or performing art, world language or CTE, 2 physical education. Districts set the credit total and commonly require more. | None | Cal. Educ. Code §51225.3 |
| Texas | 22 credits under the Foundation High School Program: 4 English (I, II, III and an advanced course), 3 math (including Algebra I and geometry), 3 science, 3 social studies (US history, at least half a credit of government, half a credit of personal financial literacy, and one credit of economics, world geography or world history), 2 in the same language other than English, 1 fine arts, 1 physical education, 5 electives. | STAAR end-of-course exams | Tex. Educ. Code §28.025(b-1) |
| Florida | 24 credits: 4 English (ELA I to IV), 4 math (including Algebra I and geometry), 3 science (two with a lab component, including Biology I), 3 social studies (US history, world history, half a credit of economics, half a credit of US government), plus the remaining credits in arts, physical education and electives. | Must pass the grade 10 ELA assessment and the Algebra I end-of-course exam, or earn a concordant or comparative score | Fla. Stat. §1003.4282 |
| New York | 22 units of credit: 4 English, 4 social studies (1 US history, 2 global history and geography, ½ participation in government, ½ economics), 3 science, 3 math, 1 world language, 1 arts, 2 physical education, ½ health, 3½ electives. | Must pass one Regents exam each in English, math, science and social studies (or an approved alternative) plus one pathway. Appeals, safety nets and superintendent determination exist | NYSED, General Education and Diploma Requirements |
| Pennsylvania | No state credit total. Each district, charter and cyber charter adopts its own graduation requirements, which must include course completion and grades. | Must demonstrate proficiency in English language arts, math and science, through Keystone Exams, a locally validated assessment, or one of the statutory pathways | 22 Pa. Code §4.24(c) |
| North Carolina | 22 credits under the Future-Ready Core: 4 English, 4 math (NC Math 1, 2, 3 and a fourth course), 3 science, 4 social studies, 1 health and physical education (including CPR instruction), 5 electives. Students entering grade 9 in 2026–27 also take 1 credit of computer science. | None | NC DPI, High School Graduation Requirements |
| Virginia | Standard Diploma: 22 standard units plus 5 verified credits, made up of 4 English, 3 math, 3 lab science, 3 history and social science, 2 health and PE, 2 world language/fine arts/CTE, 1 economics and personal finance, 4 electives. Also required are an AP, honors, IB or dual enrollment course, a work-based learning experience or a CTE credential, one virtual course, and CPR, first aid and AED training. | 5 verified credits, normally earned by passing Standards of Learning tests (2 English, 1 math, 1 science, 1 history) | 8VAC20-132-51 |
| Massachusetts | No state credit total, and local requirements are at the district’s discretion. For the class of 2027 and beyond the state requires districts to include 2 years of English, 1 year each of Algebra I and geometry (or Integrated Math I and II), 1 year of biology, physics, chemistry or technology/engineering, and 1 year of US history. | None since the November 2024 ballot question. Students now show mastery through final assessments, capstone projects or equivalent measures | Mass. DESE, Graduation Requirements (page updated August 27, 2026) |
The subjects almost every state requires
Strip out the local variation and the same core appears everywhere, in roughly the same quantities. The differences are at the edges, in how much math beyond Algebra I, whether a world language is required or optional, and which civic or financial course has been added most recently.
| Subject | Typical requirement | Examples |
|---|---|---|
| English / language arts | 4 credits, one per year | 4 in Texas, Florida, New York, North Carolina and Virginia. 3 courses in California |
| Mathematics | 3–4 credits, almost always including Algebra I and geometry | 4 in Florida and North Carolina. 3 in Texas, New York and Virginia. 2 courses in California |
| Science | 3 credits, usually with a lab requirement | 3 in Texas, Florida, New York and Virginia (Florida requires two lab credits including Biology I) |
| Social studies | 3–4 credits, including US history, government or civics, and often economics | 4 in New York and North Carolina. 3 in Texas, Florida, Virginia and California |
| Health and physical education | 1–2 credits | 2 PE courses in California. 2 PE plus ½ health in New York. 1 combined credit in North Carolina |
| Arts, CTE or world language | 1–2 credits, often interchangeable | Texas requires 1 fine arts credit and 2 in one language other than English. Virginia requires 2 across the three areas |
| Personal finance or economics | ½–1 credit, and spreading fast | Virginia requires a full economics and personal finance credit. Texas requires at least ½ credit of personal financial literacy inside social studies |
| Electives | 3–5 credits | 5 in Texas and North Carolina. 4 in Virginia. 3½ in New York |
Whatever the state says, the district can say more. That is the single most common reason a family finds the state figure and then discovers their school expects something different, and it is why California’s list of thirteen courses is not the number on any California student’s graduation checklist.
Where an exit exam still stands in the way
This is the part of the picture that has changed most. Exit exams peaked at 27 states. For the high school class of 2026 only six still have a graduation test in place, and those six are Florida, Louisiana, New Jersey, Ohio, Texas and Virginia. Several of them allow appeals or alternative ways to satisfy it, according to FairTest’s tracker, updated October 2025.
- Florida is the strictest of the surviving group. The standard diploma statute requires a student to pass the statewide grade 10 English language arts assessment and the Algebra I end-of-course exam, or earn a concordant or comparative score on an approved alternative test.
- Virginia does not call it an exit exam. It requires five “verified credits”, each a course credit plus a passing score on the matching Standards of Learning test, with at most one of them awarded locally.
- New York still requires passing Regents exams in four subjects, with appeals, safety nets and superintendent determination as escape valves. FairTest records the state moving to make the exams optional, so families should watch the entering-year rule closely here.
- Pennsylvania sits in between. There is no single exit exam, but since 2022–23 every graduate must demonstrate proficiency in English, math and science through a Keystone Exam, a validated local assessment or one of the statutory pathways.
- Massachusetts is the clearest recent reversal. Voters ended the MCAS graduation requirement in November 2024, and the state board rewrote the regulations in May 2025 around coursework and demonstrated mastery instead. Students who had already met the old standard keep it.
Testing has not disappeared, though. The ECS comparison found at least 34 states requiring students to complete some specified assessment as part of graduation. Taking a test, or using one to satisfy a pathway, is very different from having to pass one to receive the diploma.
Standard, advanced and career-technical diploma types
At least 21 states offer more than one diploma or pathway, according to ECS. The names differ, but they resolve into a few kinds.
- Standard. The baseline in the table above. It is the diploma most employers and the military mean when they ask for one.
- Advanced or honors. More credits, usually in math, science and world languages. Virginia’s Advanced Studies Diploma takes 26 standard units and 5 verified credits against the Standard Diploma’s 22 and 5, and New York layers a “Regents diploma with advanced designation” on top of its local and Regents diplomas, requiring extra math and science exams.
- Endorsements and seals. Instead of a separate diploma, many states attach a marker to it. Texas students choose an endorsement on entering ninth grade and may opt out only with written parental permission after a counselor explains the consequences. Virginia awards seals for academics, CTE, STEM, civics, biliteracy and science.
- Career and technical. Usually an endorsement or concentration rather than a different diploma, built from a sequence of CTE courses plus an industry credential, license or occupational assessment. Virginia’s CTE Seal is the clearest published example.
- Alternative credentials for students who do not meet the requirements. Virginia issues an Applied Studies Diploma to students with disabilities who complete their IEP, and a Certificate of Program Completion to students who finish a local program without qualifying for a diploma. North Carolina’s Occupational Course of Study keeps the 22-credit total but swaps in employment preparation and 600 hours of work-based training.
The type you earned normally appears on the document itself. Our walkthrough of what a high school diploma looks like shows where the diploma type, seal and signatures sit on a real one.
If you left school, the same diploma by a different route
Adults rarely meet these requirements the way a 16-year-old does, and they usually do not have to. Public adult high school programs, credit recovery, accredited online high schools and the GED or HiSET equivalency exams all lead somewhere, and they differ sharply in cost, time and what a college or employer will accept. We compare the six routes side by side in how to get a high school diploma, including how to check a school is really accredited.
Two points connect back to the requirements above. First, some states run an adult diploma track with its own rules. Virginia’s regulation points adults who do not qualify for a standard diploma to a high school equivalency credential or the General Achievement Adult High School Diploma. Second, an equivalency credential is not the same document as a diploma, even where it opens the same doors. The differences, and who accepts which, are set out in our guide to the high school equivalency diploma and the GED. If cost is the deciding factor, we break down what each route charges in how much a high school diploma costs, and the earnings gap behind the decision is in our salary by education level data.
How to confirm the rules that apply to you
- Fix the entering year. Requirements follow the year the student first entered ninth grade. Get that year first, because everything else depends on it.
- Read the state’s own page. Search the state education department site for “graduation requirements”. The top of this SERP is state pages for a reason, because they are the authority. The ECS 50-state comparison is the fastest way to find the right page for a state not listed above.
- Then read the district’s. The district checklist, not the state rule, is what the counselor will use. Where they differ, the district’s higher figure wins.
- Ask the records office for your own plan. If you graduated years ago and cannot remember which requirements applied, the high school or district records office can tell you which diploma plan you completed, and can issue the transcript that proves it.
Employers rarely audit any of this, but they do verify the diploma itself. What they actually check, and how often, is covered in do employers check high school diplomas. And if the requirement is the obstacle rather than the credential, some fields hire without one. See jobs that don’t require a high school diploma.
If you met the requirements but lost the document
A diploma is a ceremonial certificate. The transcript is the record that proves the credits. For anything official, whether college admission, licensing, the military or an employment verification, request the transcript or a verification letter from the school district or its records office. Our guide to finding your high school diploma online explains where those requests go when the school has closed or merged.
ValidGrad makes novelty replacement documents for display: a replica high school diploma for framing, and a replica high school transcript laid out the way a real one is. They are decorative reproductions, produced to your specification and not issued by or connected to any school. A replica must never be used to claim a credential you did not earn, or submitted in answer to a verification request. See our Terms.
Frequently asked questions
What is required to get a high school diploma?
Three things are required in most states. Those are a minimum number of credits, specific courses inside those credits (English every year, math through at least geometry, science with a lab, US history and government), and, in six states for the class of 2026, a passing score on a state test or an approved alternative. Some states add requirements that are not coursework at all. Virginia requires CPR training, a virtual course and a work-based learning experience, credential or advanced course.
How many credits do you need to graduate high school?
Between 20 and 24 in most credit-counting states. Florida requires 24, Texas 22, New York 22 units, North Carolina 22, Virginia 22 standard units plus 5 verified credits. California, Pennsylvania and Massachusetts set no state total and leave it to districts, which commonly land in the same 22 to 26 range.
Do you still have to pass a test to graduate?
In most states, no. Six states have a graduation test for the class of 2026: Florida, Louisiana, New Jersey, Ohio, Texas and Virginia. Massachusetts ended its requirement at the ballot box in November 2024, and New York is moving away from its Regents requirement. Everywhere else the tests still exist, but passing them is not the barrier to the diploma.
What is the fastest way to get a high school diploma?
For someone short a few credits, credit recovery through the district is usually fastest because existing credits carry over. For someone years out of school, an equivalency exam (GED or HiSET) is typically quicker than an adult diploma program, though it produces a different credential. The route comparison sets out realistic timelines for each.
What happens if a student does not meet the requirements?
They do not get a standard diploma, but they are not left with nothing. States issue alternative documents, such as Virginia’s Applied Studies Diploma for students with disabilities who complete their IEP, and its Certificate of Program Completion for students who finish a local program without qualifying. Adults can return later through an adult high school or equivalency route, and the diploma they earn then is a real one.
Sources
- California Education Code §51225.3, course requirements for a high school diploma. leginfo.legislature.ca.gov
- Texas Education Code §28.025, on the high school diploma and on foundation high school program credits and endorsements. statutes.capitol.texas.gov
- Texas Education Agency, Foundation High School Program. tea.texas.gov
- Florida Statutes §1003.4282, requirements for a standard high school diploma (24 credits, grade 10 ELA and Algebra I EOC). leg.state.fl.us
- New York State Education Department, General Education and Diploma Requirements (22 units, assessment requirements). nysed.gov
- 22 Pa. Code §4.24, high school graduation requirements (local requirements, proficiency pathways from 2022–23). pacodeandbulletin.gov
- North Carolina Department of Public Instruction, High School Graduation Requirements (Future-Ready Core, Occupational Course of Study). dpi.nc.gov
- 8VAC20-132-51, Virginia requirements for graduation, effective for students entering grade 9 in 2018–19 (Standard and Advanced Studies diplomas, verified credits, seals). law.lis.virginia.gov
- Massachusetts Department of Elementary and Secondary Education, Graduation Requirements, updated August 27, 2026 (local credit requirements, competency determination after the 2024 ballot question). doe.mass.edu
- Education Commission of the States, 50-State Comparison of High School Graduation Requirements, May 2023 (34 states requiring specified assessments, 21 states with multiple diploma options). ecs.org
- FairTest, Graduation Test Update on states that recently eliminated or scaled back exit exams, updated October 2025 (six states with a test for the class of 2026). fairtest.org