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, use it for every course, and publish it as the grading-scale key on the transcript.
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.
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 GPA paired with a grading-scale key 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 and include it as the grading-scale key on the transcript.
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.