High School Academics and Curriculum

To earn a GRCHS diploma, students must meet the following requirements:

• Complete four full years of high school studies, with the senior year ordinarily completed at Grand Rapids Christian High School. Early completion of high school is not an option, regardless of credits earned in excess of the minimum requirements. A minimum of one full year at Grand Rapids Christian High School is required for a Grand Rapids Christian High School diploma.
• Students must earn .50 Winterim credits per year as a graduation requirement. These Winterim courses do not count toward fulfilling non-Winterim graduation requirements.
• Students who pass 7th and 8th grade Spanish at Grand Rapids Christian Middle will receive high school credit for Spanish I.
• Complete 24 credits and 2 Winterim credits. Please see department descriptions for specific required courses.
  • BIBLE AND THEOLOGY – 4 semesters
  • ENGLISH – 8 semesters
  • ELECTIVES – 8 semesters
  • MATHEMATICS – 8 semesters
  • PHYSICAL EDUCATION AND HEALTH – 2 semesters
  • SCIENCE – 6 semesters
  • SOCIAL STUDIES – 6 semesters
  • VISUAL, PERFORMING AND APPLIED ARTS – 2 semesters
  • WORLD LANGUAGE – 4 semesters

REQUIREMENTS FOR A GRAND RAPIDS CHRISTIAN HIGH SCHOOL BASIC DIPLOMA

The requirements for this diploma are the same as those for a regualr Grand Rapids Christian High School diploma with these exceptions:

• There is no limit to the number of credits earned in modified courses.
• With prior approval, courses may be omitted from the normal subject distribution requirement based on individual student programming.

1.  
2. Students meet with counselors to choose their courses in the winter/spring of each school year.
3. While we will do our best to accommodate course requests, students will be asked to choose alternate courses in the event of a conflict, or the class is not offered due to low enrollment numbers.
4. At the start of each semester, students will have the opportunity to make changes to their course selections; however, selections may be limited due to class size restriction. A form must be completed stating the course request change and the reason for making the request.
5.  Our master schedule is based solely on the students' original course choices. Therefore, changes to course selections after the master schedule is made cannot be guaranteed.
6.  

For students in grades 9 through 12, it is  mandatory to take a minimum of three credit hours per semester. Parents of seniors can request an excused hour for their student during the 1st or 8th period.

Students attending Kent Career Technical Center, Kent Transition Center, or Early College students must take a minimum of 2.0 hours of credit at Grand Rapids Christian High in addition with the off-campus classes.

Participation in the Graduation Ceremony:

Senior students who meet GRCHS diploma requirements are invited to participate in the annual graduation ceremony. If a student was in attendance throughout the senior year but fails to satisfy the credit unit requirements by one credit unit or less, that student may participate in the graduation ceremony. In order for a senior to be considered as a speaker at the ceremony, they must have consistently followed the expectations described in the Student Handbook.

Insufficient Credit for Graduation:

Students who leave GRCHS prior to graduating, who have earned 19 or more credits, with at least 75% of those credits earned at GRCHS, may earn a GRCHS diploma. Arrangements for completing the requirements for the diploma can be made with a school counselor or an administrator.

to be eligible for honors designations, students:

1. Must have earned the majority of credits through seven semesters at Grand Rapids Christian High School.
2. Must be a full-time students each semester of high school.
3. Must have a GPA of: 

• Highest Honors: Weighted GPA of 3.95 and higher
• High Honors: Weighted GPA of 3.85 – 3.94
• Honors: Weighted GPA of 3.70 – 3.84

Please note: Cumulative weighted grade point average, following the 1st semester grading period of the senior year, will also be used if and when the school publicizes information on top seniors in the graduating class.

Final Grades

Each course's report card will include three grades: 18-week, exam, and final semester grades. The final semester grade will be recorded on the school’s permanent record.

The averaging semester grades will follow this standard unless the school administration grants special permission for a different pattern for a particular class or student: The 18-week grade will contribute to 80% of the final grade and the exam grade will contribute 20%.  

If a student passes the final exam, they will pass the semester with a minimum grade of D-.

Second Semester Exam Exemptions for Seniors

Seniors who achieve or exceed their cumulative GPAs in their second-semester courses are excused from taking the exams in those courses.

A senior with a GPA of 4.0 or higher, but earns an A- for the 18 week grade in a course, may still be excused from the exam in that course. Seniors who are excused from exams, however, have the option to take the exam to improve their final grade in a class.

Multiple Summative Assessments

If a student has been assigned more than two summative assessments on a given day, they may request a postponement of one of the assessments.  The student should first discuss the issue with the teacher how assigned the last assessment before the scheduled day and request alternate arrangements.  If the issue cannot be resolved, the student may then seek administrative intervention.

Adding/Dropping Courses

Students are not allowed to add or switch courses after the first three days of instruction. Courses can be dropped without academic penalty until the fourth week of the semester.

Credit Recovery

A student who is deficient in credits may take courses from another approved school.  

Replacement Credit

To qualify for a replacement credit, students must retake the course within one year. Replacement courses are only allowed for original grades of a C+ or lower, and with permission by an administrator.

Once the replacement course is completed, an R (meaning replacement) will replace the previous grade of C+ or lower on the student's transcript. If the class was taken at Grand Rapids Christian High School, the new grade will appear on the transcript. However, if the class was taken elsewhere, the replacement grade will not appear on the transcript. A copy of the transcript from the school where the course was retaken will be provided along with the transcript from GRCHS.

Kent Career Technical Center and Kent Transition Center

Students who want to participate in programs at the Kent Technical Center or Kent Transition Center need to arrange their schedules and programs with their counselor. These programs are considered to be auxiliary programs available to all area high schools. Since neither Kent Career Technical Center, nor Kent Transition Center are a credit-granting institutions, all participants must be enrolled in and attend classes at GRCHS.

Transfer Students/Outside Credits

Upon enrolling at Grand Rapids Christian High School, transfer students’ academic status will be determined using their academic records from previous schools. These records will be used to make decisions about placement and graduation requirements. 

However, courses, credits, and grades from other schools will be included on a GRCHS transcript. In addition, grades from outside schools are not used to calculate the student’s final GPA. The student’s GRCHS transcript will only consist of coursework, credits, and grades completed at GRCHS.

Parent-Excused Hours

Parents of seniors may request a parent-excused hour for 1st or 8th period for their student.

Seniors who have been granted a parent-excused hour at the end of the school day are expected to leave campus. If seniors do not leave campus during that time, they should plan on treating that period as a Responsibility Period with those constraints.

Dual Enrollment

High school credit is given for dual enrollment courses; however, they will not appear on the GRCHS transcript. Students can only take a dual enrollment course if an equivalent course is not offered at GRCHS.

To take a dual enrollment course, students must submit a written request signed by their parent/guardian. This request should include the reason for the request and a brief description of the course(s) to be taken. Final approval must be obtained from the student's counselor and/or principal.

In order to qualify for State reimbursement, a student is required to be enrolled full time at GRCHS.
See the Counseling Department website at counselors.grcs.org for complete details.

Independent Study

• When a student is enrolled on a regular basis at Grand Rapids Christian High School:
  • Independent studies are offered on an exception basis only. Ordinarily, the only reason for an independent study is a scheduling conflict.
  • Prior approval from the high school counselor is required for independent study.
  • Typically only one course (0.5 credit) per semester is allowed.
  • The independent study must be a GRCHS course and be supervised by a GRCHS teacher.  
• When a student is unable to take courses on Grand Rapids Christian High School's campus:
  • Arrangements can be made in advance through the high school counselor to take core corse work only.
  • Credit will be granted only if the study is conducted under the jurisdiction of a recognized online high school program or by a Grand Rapids Christian High School teacher.
  • Credit for an independent study will be awarded on a pass/fail basis. No letter grade will be awarded for use in the student’s cumulative GPA.
  • A flat fee of $350.00 will be assessed for each semester course (.5 credit).

The Grade Point Average (GPA) is determined by the semester grades recieved for all completed courses. Advanced Placement Courses will use a weighted GPA formula. Credits from other schools will not be calculated into the student’s final GPA or appear on the final transcript from GRCHS.    

Honor Roll

Full-time students who earn a weighted grade point average of 3.7 or above at the conclusion of each semester will be recognized for their achievement.

College-bound student-athletes must meet a core-course progression requirement to be eligible to compete in the initial year of full-time enrollment at an NCAA Division I and Division II school.

Please see your counselor for information on course requirements, Core GPA and Test Scores.

Additional eligibility information is available on the NCAA website.

*Please see curriculum guide for all NCAA approved courses.

Get more information on Advanced placement here.