Graduation Requirements

The state graduation requirements under Wis. Stats. 118.33 and 118.33(1m)(a)1, Section 266R total 15.5 credits and the successful passing of a civics exam.

The 15.5 credits include the following:

English and Language Arts – 4 Credits
Math – 3 Credits
Science – 3 Credits
Social Studies – 3 Credits
Physical Education – 1.5 credits
Health – 0.5 credits (in grades 7-12)
Personal Financial Literacy – 0.5 credits

In addition, as specified in s. 118.33(1)(am), the state superintendent shall encourage school boards to require an additional 8.5 credits selected from any combination of vocational education, world languages*, fine arts, and other courses.

*commonly referred to as foreign languages in state statute

For more information about the civics graduation requirement, visit the Wisconsin Civics Graduation Requirement webpage.

Additional Information about Graduation Requirements

The credit requirements listed above are the minimum expectations outlined in Wisconsin state statute. School boards have the flexibility to include additional requirements.

All districts' graduation requirements are reported annually and can be found in WISEdash.

For graduation requirements for Independent Charter Schools, visit the DPI Independent Charter Schools webpage.

Wisconsin Academic Standards

Wisconsin Academic Standards specify what students should know and be able to do in the classroom. They serve as goals for teaching and learning. Setting high standards enables students, parents, educators, and citizens to know what students should have learned at a given point in time.

In Wisconsin, all standards serve as a model for all subject areas. Standards are often used across institutions to build shared expectations and support student mobility. School boards, when adopting academic standards to best serve their local community, should also take into account other roles of the standards.

For more information, visit the DPI Wisconsin Academic Standards webpage. Similarly, courses and standards often will determine post-secondary options.