Subject: English
Suggested Credits: 4
Possible Courses: Composition, Literature, Rhetoric, Creative Writing, Journalism (Suggested courses should stress grammar, vocabulary and communication skills.)
Subject: Math
Suggested Credits: 3
Possible Courses: Algebra 1 & 2, Geometry, General Math, Consumer Math, Business Math, Accounting
Subject: History
Suggested Credits: 2-3
Possible Courses: World History, American History, United States Government
Subject: Science
Suggested Credits: 2-3
Possible Courses: Physical Science, General Science, Earth Science, Biology, Chemistry, Physics
Subject: Foreign Language
Suggested Credits: 2-3
Possible Courses: French, Spanish, Latin, German, Russian, etc. (Two years of the same language preferred.)
Subject: Physical Education (P.E.)
Suggested Credits: 1-2
Possible Courses: Many options are available.
Subject: Fine Arts
Suggested Credits: 1-2
Possible Courses: Art, Music, Drama, Photography, etc.
Subject: Electives
Suggested Credits: 5
Possible Courses: Practical Arts, Life Skills, Bible, Computer Skills, etc.
Total Credits: 20-22
Subject: English
Suggested Credits: 4
Possible Courses: Composition, American Literature, Bristish Literature, World Literature, Rhetoric, Creative Writing, Speech / Communications, Journalism, debate (Also conside AP or college courses.)
Subject: Math
Suggested Credits: 3-4
Possible Courses: Algebra 1 & 2, Geometry, Precalculus / Trigonometry, Calculus, AP Calculus
Subject: History
Suggested Credits: 3-4
Possible Courses: Essentials: World History, American History, United States Government; Consider: Economics, Geography, Constitutional Law, AP courses
Subject: Science
Suggested Credits: 3-4
Possible Courses: Physical Science, General Science, Earth Science, Biology, Chemistry, Physics (Also consider AP courses.)
Subject: Foreign Language
Suggested Credits: 3-4
Possible Courses: French, Spanish, Latin, German, Russian, etc. (At least two years same language is preferred.)
Subject: Physical Education (P.E.)
Suggested Credits: 1-2
Possible Courses: Many options are available.
Subject: Fine Arts
Suggested Credits: 1-2
Possible Courses: Art, Music, Drama, Photography, etc.
Subject: Electives
Suggested Credits: 5
Possible Courses: Practical Arts, Life Skills, Bible, Computer Skills, etc.
Total Credits: 24-28
Subject: English
Suggested Credits: 4+
Possible Courses: Composition, American Literature, Bristish Literature, World Literature, Rhetoric, Creative Writing, Speech / Communications, Journalism, Debate (AP or college courses are strongly recommended.)
Subject: Math
Suggested Credits: 4+
Possible Courses: Essentials: Algebra 1 & 2, Geometry, Precalculus / Trigonometry, Calculus; Consider: AP Calculus, Statistics, Accounting
Subject: History
Suggested Credits: 4+
Possible Courses: Essentials: World History, American History, United States Government; Consider: Geography, Sociology, Psychology, Political Science, Constitutional Law, etc. (AP courses are strongly recommended.)
Subject: Science
Suggested Credits: 4+
Possible Courses: Physical Science, Biology, Chemistry, Physics, Anatomy, Microbiology (AP courses are strongly recommended.)
Subject: Foreign Language
Suggested Credits: 3-4
Possible Courses: French, Spanish, Latin, German, Russian, etc. (At least two years same language is preferred.)
Subject: Physical Education (P.E.)
Suggested Credits: 1-2
Possible Courses: Many options are available.
Subject: Fine Arts
Suggested Credits: 1-2
Possible Courses: Art, Music, Drama, Photography, etc.
Subject: Electives
Suggested Credits: 5
Possible Courses: Practical Skills, Bible, Computer Skills, etc.
Total Credits: 26-30
A GPA is a credit-weighted average of your grades on a 4.0 scale. Each grade converts to points, you multiply by the course's credit value, total them, and divide by the total credits:
GPA = (sum of grade points × credits) ÷ total credits
The calculator above does this for you. To weight a course, start its title with Honors:, AP:, or Dual: and the bonus is applied automatically.
| Grade | Percentage | Points |
|---|---|---|
| A | 90-100 | 4.0 |
| B | 80-89 | 3.0 |
| C | 70-79 | 2.0 |
| D | 60-69 | 1.0 |
| F | Below 60 | 0.0 |
Weighting adds bonus points for rigor: Honors +0.5, and AP or dual enrollment +1.0 (capped at 5.0 per course).
If you record percentage grades, convert each percentage to grade points before averaging. The simple scale above counts every A as 4.0. If you use plus and minus grades, this is the standard conversion:
| Percentage | Letter | Points |
|---|---|---|
| 97-100 | A+ | 4.0 |
| 93-96 | A | 4.0 |
| 90-92 | A- | 3.7 |
| 87-89 | B+ | 3.3 |
| 83-86 | B | 3.0 |
| 80-82 | B- | 2.7 |
| 77-79 | C+ | 2.3 |
| 73-76 | C | 2.0 |
| 70-72 | C- | 1.7 |
| 67-69 | D+ | 1.3 |
| 63-66 | D | 1.0 |
| 60-62 | D- | 0.7 |
| Below 60 | F | 0.0 |
So an 87% is a B+ worth 3.3 points, an 88% is also a B+, and a 92% is an A- worth 3.7. Pick one scale, the simple one or the plus/minus one, and use it for every course.
Six one-credit courses, shown unweighted and weighted:
| Course | Grade | Points | Weighted |
|---|---|---|---|
| English 9 | A | 4.0 | 4.0 |
| Algebra I (Honors) | A | 4.0 | 4.5 |
| Biology | B | 3.0 | 3.0 |
| World History (AP) | A | 4.0 | 5.0 |
| Spanish I | B | 3.0 | 3.0 |
| PE | B | 3.0 | 3.0 |
Unweighted: 21.0 points ÷ 6 credits = 3.50 GPA. Weighted: 22.5 ÷ 6 = 3.75 GPA. For a half-credit course, multiply its points by 0.5 before adding.
If you did not track credits, average the grade points directly so every course counts equally:
GPA (no credits) = sum of grade points ÷ number of courses
Four courses graded A, A, B, and C are 4.0 + 4.0 + 3.0 + 2.0 = 13.0 points, divided by 4 courses = 3.25 GPA. That is the same math the calculator above performs when every course carries the same credit value, so entering 1 credit for each course produces an identical result.
Half credits. A half-credit course counts half as much on both sides of the division. An A in a half-credit course adds 2.0 points and 0.5 credits, not 4.0 and 1.0. A one-semester course is usually a half credit.
Figuring a single term? A GPA for one quarter or semester is report-card work rather than transcript work. The free homeschool report card template runs the same grade-point scale and the same Honors and AP weighting used here, for one grading period at a time, and prints a card you can sign. Credits are optional there, so it also works for elementary and middle school.
One caution: a college-bound high school transcript is expected to show credits, so a GPA figured without them is a useful starting point rather than a finished transcript. A full credit is roughly 120 to 180 hours of work and a half credit is 60 to 90. See homeschool credit hours explained.
An unweighted GPA puts every course on the same 4.0 scale. A weighted GPA adds bonus points for harder courses (Honors +0.5, AP and dual enrollment +1.0). A transcript reports one or the other. See weighted vs. unweighted GPA.
Add the bonus to the course's grade points before averaging: an A is 4.0 in a regular class, 4.5 in an Honors class, and 5.0 in an AP or dual-enrollment class. Per-course points are capped at 5.0.
Yes. Colleges evaluate the transcript GPA, so a clear, accurately calculated GPA is expected. See the homeschool grading scale.
Most colleges exclude pass/fail courses from the GPA. The NCAA is an exception and counts a "Pass" as a D. See pass/fail and GPA.
On a plus/minus scale an 87% is a B+, worth 3.3 grade points. On the simple A-F scale that many homeschool families use it is a B, worth 3.0. Either is acceptable as long as you apply one scale to every course.
Add up the grade points and divide by the number of courses, which weights every course equally: A, A, B, C is 13.0 points divided by 4 courses = 3.25 GPA. For a college-bound transcript you should still assign credits afterward, because colleges expect to see them.
A half-credit course counts half as much on both sides of the calculation. Multiply its grade points by 0.5 and count it as 0.5 toward total credits, so an A in a half-credit course adds 2.0 points and 0.5 credits.
For the full step-by-step method, see our guide on how to calculate a homeschool GPA.
Updated July 2026.