Graduation Requirements and Course Planning

High school students and their families work together with the school counselor to create a Academic and Career Plan, to include successful course sequencing.  The course catalogs are updated yearly to use as a reference when meeting with the student's counselor. 

Requirements for graduation differ depending on the year the student entered high school for the first time.

Full Day Schedule

Students enrolled in FCPS are expected to maintain a full-day schedule (Regulation 2412 [PDF]). Students with personal, family, or economic needs may still request a waiver of full day schedule requirements by speaking with their school counselor. Transportation arrangements for a student on this modified schedule are the responsibility of the family.

Students considering this option should discuss possible implications for college admissions and Virginia High School League (VHSL) eligibility with their school counselor prior to reducing their schedule. Schools will attempt to honor all requests; however, scheduling conflicts may prohibit some students from accessing this option. 

Four Governor’s Academies.

Chantilly and Marshall Governor’s STEM Academies specialize in engineering and information technology. Falls Church and West Potomac Governor’s Health Sciences Academies focus on five pathways in the area of health care.

College Credit and Dual Enrollment

FCPS has established articulation agreements with a variety of post-secondary organizations that allow students to take certain career and technical education classes in high school and receive college placement credit. In addition, FCPS has dual enrollment agreements with Northern Virginia Community College (NVCC) and Shenandoah University, whereby students can earn college credits for select career and technical education classes. 

Courses Taken Outside of FCPS

Currently enrolled FCPS students who wish to take a course outside of FCPS and transfer back the credit must have written approval from their school prior to enrolling in the course. The course must meet the requirements outlined in the current version of FCPS Regulation 2408 and Virginia Board of Education regulations. For additional information about pursing coursework outside of FCPS for credit, please contact your school counselor.

Student Fees

Courses that require a student fee for consumable materials have been designated in the course catalog. 

Students eligible for the federal Free and Reduced Price meals program may have course and test fees waived. For more information, see your school counselor.

College Athletics

Students who plan to participate in college athletics should also visit the NCAA Eligibility site to ensure that courses taken towards graduation requirements also meet the requirements for NCAA eligibility.