CLASS OF 2030 and Beyond (rising 9th graders) 

Scholars Endorsement

1. Sixteen (16) Honors credits minimum Honors/AP/Dual
   • Three (3) of these credits must be Advanced Placement credits
2. Two (2) World Language credits (in sequence) 
3. 4.0 GPA
4. Complete all other course requirements of the Alabama diploma
5. This endorsement meets Honor Graduate requirements

Advanced Academic Endorsement

Honors Academic Endorsement

CLASS OF 2027-2029 (rising 10th -12 graders) 

1. All 12th-grade students with an overall GPA of 4.0 or above who have earned the Advanced Diploma at Athens High School will be designated Honor Graduates and have a ranking of #1 in class. No Valedictorian or Salutatorian will be named.
2. Athens High School will determine how to recognize these Honor Graduates at the commencement ceremony.
3. The individual(s) who will make commencement remarks at the graduation ceremony will be selected from the pool of Honor Graduates by the principal with input from the senior counselor, senior sponsor(s), and honor graduates.
4. In the event that no student in the graduating class has a GPA of 4.0 or higher, up to the top 10% of students (with a 3.75 or higher GPA) may be designated as Honor Graduates.
5. The rank of the next student below those designated as Honor Graduates should be determined by the total number of students whose average exceeded his/hers. For example, if three students in a class of 100 students are designated as Honor Graduates, each holds a rank of 1/100. The next holds a rank of 4/100.
6.  In order to be considered for the designation of Honor Graduate, a student must be enrolled in Athens High School where this designation is made for the entire senior year.
7. Final determination (grade point average) will be made at the end of the first nine-week grading period of the second semester (block schedule) of the senior year.
8. Final determination of both numerical and standard grade point averages will be carried three (3) decimal places, with no “rounding”. The system will be based on the ACS Secondary Grade Point Average (GPA) Scale. 
9. A minimum number of twenty-eight (28) courses must be attempted and counted in determining GPA. Full credit courses will be multiplied by 1.0. One-half credit courses will be multiplied by .5 for determining overall GPA.
10. Any extraordinary situation or circumstance that may arise will be resolved by the school principal in consultation with the superintendent. 

CLASS OF 2030 AND BEYOND (rising 9th graders) 

1. All 12th-grade students with an overall GPA of 4.0 or above who have earned the Scholar’s Endorsement at Athens High School will be designated Honor Graduates and have a ranking of #1 in class. No Valedictorian or Salutatorian will be named.
2. Athens High School will determine how to recognize these Honor Graduates at the commencement ceremony.
3. The individual(s) who will make commencement remarks at the graduation ceremony will be selected from the pool of Honor Graduates by the principal with input from the senior counselor, senior sponsor(s), and honor graduates.
4. In the event that no student in the graduating class has earned a Scholar’s Endorsement and achieved a 4.0 or higher, students who have earned the Advanced Academic Endorsement and a GPA of 4.0 or higher may be designated as honor graduates. In the event that no student in the graduating class has earned either Scholar’s Endorsement or Advanced Academic Endorsement and a GPA of 4.0, then students earning an Honors Academic Endorsement and a GPA of 4.0 may be designated as Honor Graduates.
5. The rank of the next student below those designated as Honor Graduates should be determined by the total number of students whose average exceeded his/hers. For example, if three students in a class of 100 are designated Honor Graduates, each holds a rank of 1/100. The next holds a rank of 4/100.
6. To be considered for the Honor Graduate designation, a student must be enrolled at Athens High School, where this designation is awarded for the entire senior year. 
7. Final determination (Grade Point Average) will be made at the end of the first nine-week grading period of the second semester (block schedule) of the senior year.
8. Final determination of both the numerical and standard Grade Point Averages will be carried to three (3) decimal places, with no rounding. This system will be based on the ACS Secondary Grade Point Average Scale.
9. A minimum of twenty-eight (28) courses must be attempted and counted in determining the GPA. Full credit courses will be multiplied by 1.0. One-half credit courses will be multiplied by 0.5 for determining the overall GPA.
10. Any extraordinary situation or circumstance that may arise will be resolved by the school principal in consultation with the superintendent.