The State of North Carolina uses a 10-point grading scale. Students who transfer from schools with other grading scales will have transfer grades converted to our 10-point scale.

Grading philosophies can vary among schools and even among teachers. Learn more about grading at the link below.

Grading Principles for Cabarrus County Schools.

Some courses taken in high school earn weighted GPA Quality Points. These extra quality points can result in some students having a weighted GPA that exceeds 4.0.

Facts About Your GPA

• GPA is cumulative & reflects all classes taken in high school (even failed classes).
• GPA is the average of the quality points you have earned for each final course grade.
• Honors, AP and some CCP courses earn extra quality points (weighted quality points).
• GPA can play an important role in opportunities in hich school & for college admission & scholarships.
• 9th and 10th grades are the best time to impact your GPA, as there are fewer grades being averaged into your GPA so a single high grade can make a bigger impact.
• It can be difficult to positively impact your GPA in 11th & 12th grades because more numbers are being averaged together, so a single high number has less of an impact.

GPA Calculation Example

Kai is finishing up her freshman year of high school. She took eight classes. These are her classes, grades and quality points earned. Kai earned 30.5 weighted quality points. She took 8 classes. For Kai, 30.5 total quality points divided by 8 total classes taken in high school so far. This gives Kai a GPA of 3.1825.

Cabarrus County Schools recognizes outstanding high school graduates based on GPA in three honor graduate categories (GPA is exact and not rounded up). At Cox Mill High School, we use the senior's final cumulative GPA from the end of the fall semester to determine honor grad status. Seniors usually receive their cords at graduation.

Summa Cum Laude (gold cord at graduation) = 4.32+

Magna Cum Laude (royal blue cord at graduation) = 4.0 - 4.319

Cum Laude (red cord at graduation) = 3.625 - 3.99

Cox Mill High School calculates class rank at the conclusion of each semester and at the end of the summer when final course grades have been permanently stored in PowerSchool. Students must have a semester of attendance at Cox Mill High School to be ranked with their Charger classmates.

Class Rank and College Admission 

Retaking a Course for Credit
FAILED Courses
REPEATING FULL COURSE:

Beginning Fall 2015, a student who fails a course may repeat the course and have the original, failed grade suppressed from the student's transcript and GPA (State Board of Education Policy GCS-M-001).  When a student fails a high school course and successfully repeats the course for credit, the new course grade will appear on the transcript and factor into GPA calculation, class rank, and honor roll eligibility.  The failed grade will remain in the student's record in PowerSchool but will be suppressed from the transcript and GPA-related calculations.  To take advantage of this option, the student must repeat the entire course.  Students and parents considering this option should have a discussion with the student's School Counselor as soon as possible upon receiving the failed course grade.   

REPEATING ABBREVIATED COURSE (CREDIT RECOVERY):

Students who fail a course may be given the opportunity to earn the credit via a shortened, online Credit Recovery (CR) course.  Students must meet qualifying criteria (course grade in failed course and exam grade thresholds).  Students completing CR for a failed course will earn grade of P (pass).  College-bound athletes are discouraged from considering this option, as courses that earn the grade of P (pass) will not factor into GPA and may not meet NCAA eligibilty policies.  Students and parents interested in this option should have a discussion with the student's School Counselor.  

PASSED Courses
High school students in Cabarrus County Schools may need to repeat a course for which they have earned credit in order to increase their understanding of the course content, to improve skill mastery, or to meet postsecondary goals. Students may repeat a course for which they have previously earned credit, subject to the following conditions and any other reasonable rules established by the superintendent:

1. The student must make a written request within 30 days of the date printed on thereport card to repeat the course.
2. The principal or designee must approve the request.
3. There must be space available after seats have been assigned to students who are taking the course for the first time or repeating a previously failed course.
4. The course to be repeated must be a duplicate, or equivalent, of the original class and must be taken during the regular school day at a high school in Cabarrus County Schools or through the North Carolina Virtual Public School during the regular school year.  Summer NCVPS courses are not applicable to this policy (see reverse for allowable equivalent courses).
5. Upon completion of the repeated course, the new course grade will replace the student’s original grade on the student’s transcript and in calculations of the student’s GPA, class rank, and honor roll eligibility. The new grade will replace the original grade regardless of whether the later grade is higher or lower than the student’s original mark.
6. Credit towards graduation for the same course will be given only once.
7. A course may be repeated only one time.
8. Students may repeat a maximum of four previously passed courses during their high school careers.
9. The repeated course must be completed within two semesters of the original course.
10. Applies only to courses in the Fall of 2017 and forward only. Courses taken prior to this are not applicable for grade replacement.

Graduation Requirements

Cox Mill High School's graduation requirements are determined by the State of North Carolina DPI and Cabarrus County Schools. Graduation requirements can vary from one year to the next; it is important to consult the requirements in effect the year you entered high school. 
 
Responsibility for tracking a student's progress is a collaborative effort between students, parents/guardians, and school counselors.  CMHS school counselors review graduation requirements with students annually. Consult your school counselor regarding questions or concerns about graduation requirements. 
 
North Carolina's graduation requirements are geared to meet the minimum admission requirements of the UNC System. These may not meet Minimum Admission Requirements for some other colleges and universities.  Be sure to check Minimum Admission Requirements for the colleges to which you plan to apply.