To earn a high school diploma, a student must:

• Earn high school credit
• Pass state tests or approved alternatives to those tests
• Complete a Culminating Project
• Complete a High School and Beyond Plan

 
A credit is defined as 150 hours of planned instructional activities excluding passing time. 

To be eligible to graduate in Washington, high school students must: pass specific state exams, earn all required state and local credits, and successfully complete a high school and beyond plan and a culminating project. The state testing requirements are as follows:

• Classes of 2011 and 2012: Students must pass a state exam in reading and writing, a state-approved alternative or an assessment for students in special education. Students can meet the state’s math requirement by passing a high school math exam OR by earning two math credits after 10th grade.
• Classes of 2013 and 2014: Students must pass a state exam in reading and writing and one end-of-course exam in math, state-approved alternatives or assessments for students in special education.
• Classes of 2015 and beyond: Students must pass a state exam in reading and writing, one science end-of-course exam and two math end-of-course exams, state-approved alternatives or assessments for students in special education.

Beginning with the class of 2013, students must earn a Certificate of Academic Achievement or Certificate of Individual Achievement, the latter being for students in special education. To learn more about the CAA/CIA.

In addition to passing state exams, students can meet their assessment graduation requirements by passing state-approved alternatives, or Certificate of Academic Achievement Options.