Graduation Requirements

Graduation requirements for high school students.

To earn a New Mexico high school diploma, students are expected to:

Grad Hats

  1. Complete 25 credits
  2. Demonstrate competency in five areas: reading, math, writing, science and social studies.
    • Most students can demonstrate competency by passing a state standardized test in each area.
    • Students who fail one or more of these tests now have the option of submitting a portfolio of work.
    • Recently added exemptions and other alternatives also are available.

All seniors should meet with their school counselor to make sure they are on track to graduate.

Credit Requirements

Students must have 25 credits in the following courses:

Credit Requirements
CourseUnits
English 4 units
Math 4 units.
One unit must be Algebra II or higher.
Science 3 units
Social Studies
  • 1 unit: US History
  • 1 unit: World History
  • 0.5 unit: Government
  • 0.5 unit: Economics
  • 0.5 unit: New Mexico History
Health 0.5 unit
Physical Education 1 unit
Career or workplace readiness,
arts, or language course		 1 unit
Electives 8 units

At least one course, but, any one of
the required units must be

  • Honors or Advanced Placement, or
  • Dual Enrollment, or 
  • On-line (distance learning)
 1 unit

Workplace Readiness Courses

Career Technical Education in Workplace Readiness Courses includes:

NFHS grad

  • Business Management and Finance
  • Drama
  • Family and Consumer Sciences
  • Automotive Technologies
  • Culinary Arts
  • Manufacturing and Construction Trades
  • Technology / Media Technologies
  • Computer ScienceGraduation 2009
  • The Arts:
    • Music,
    • Visual Art
    • Drama

Exit Exam Requirements and Alternatives (Class of 2017)

Graduation Requirements 2016-17

By state law, in order to graduate with a New Mexico Public School diploma, students must demonstrate competency in five areas:

    • Reading
    • Writing
    • Mathematics
    • Science, and
    • Social Studies

The primary way a student graduating in Spring of 2017 shows competency in these areas is by passing the PARCC (Math, Reading/Writing), SBA (Science) assessments and passing End of Course exams (Social Studies).