NC Education Code · Regulation
Title 16 — root / Chapter 06 — 16 NCAC 06D .0503
Plain English summary
This rule establishes North Carolina public high school graduation requirements, setting 22 total course credits across English, math, science, social studies, health/PE, and electives, with specific course sequences tiered by the school year a student first enrolled in Grade 9. Beginning with students entering Grade 9 in 2026-2027, a mandatory computer science credit is added, and students entering in 2025-2026 must also earn at least one visual or performing arts credit in grades 6-12. Students with disabilities whose IEP teams determine they cannot meet standard requirements are directed to a separate rule (16 NCAC 06D .0506).
Key requirements
- To graduate from a public high school in North Carolina and be issued a high school diploma by the governing body of a public school unit, a student shall satisfy the requirements set forth in this Rule.
- The requirements for each student are determined by the school year in which the student first enrolls in Grade 9.
- A student who first enrolled in Grade 9 in the 2020-2021 school year shall earn a total of 22 course credits.
- A student who first enrolled in Grade 9 in the 2021-2022, 2022-2023, 2023-2024, 2024-2025, or 2025-2026 school years shall earn a total of 22 course credits.
- A student who first enrolled in Grade 9 in the 2026-2027 school year or thereafter shall earn a total of 22 course credits.
- A student may, with the approval of the principal of the student's school, complete a CTE course approved by DPI in lieu of NC Math III.
- One course credit in the content area of health and physical education, including completion of instruction in cardiopulmonary resuscitation ('CPR') as provided in G.S. 115C-81.25(c)(10).
- A student who first enrolled in Grade 9 in the 2026-2027 school year or thereafter shall earn one course credit in the content area of computer science, as prescribed in G.S. 115C-81.90.
- A student shall be exempt from the computer science requirement if the student transfers from a nonpublic school or a school in another state to a North Carolina public school after completion of Grade 11, or if the student has been identified as a child with a disability and the student's IEP team determines that the student's disability would prevent the student from completing the course credit.
- A student who first enrolled in Grade 9 in the 2025-2026 school year shall have earned at least one course credit in visual or performing arts from Grade 6 through 12.
- A student shall be exempt from the visual or performing arts requirement if the student transfers from a nonpublic school or a school in another state to a North Carolina public school in Grade 9 or thereafter and the requirement would prevent the student from graduating with the cohort of students to which the student was assigned upon transfer.
- In determining whether a student who is the child of a military family has satisfied the requirements established by this Rule, the governing body of a public school unit shall consider and comply with all requirements of the Interstate Compact on Educational Opportunity for Military Children, codified at G.S. 115C-407.5.
- The requirements for a student who has been identified as a child with a disability and whose IEP team has determined cannot satisfy the standard state graduation requirements are set forth in 16 NCAC 06D .0506.
Affected parties
- Public high school students in North Carolina
- Students with disabilities (IEP teams)
- Children of military families
- Public school unit governing bodies
- School principals
- Department of Public Instruction (DPI)
- Students transferring from nonpublic schools or out-of-state schools