Graduation Requirements

The total number of credits necessary for graduation at Columbia Heights High School is 27. The practical arts requirement may be fulfilled with Business Education, Family and Consumer Science or Engineering and Technology Education courses. The Fine Arts requirement includes courses from Visual Art and Music.

World Languages do not meet the Fine Arts requirement. World Language credits count as electives for high school graduation. Students who are short credits at the end of grades nine, ten and eleven are expected to make up the gap in alternative programs before the start of the senior year. Credit can be earned at an ALC (Alternative Learning Center), through summer school or Odysseyware online credit recovery. Please contact your dean.

Students at Columbia Heights High School take several required tests each year, including:

Testing Requirements for Graduation

In Minnesota, for students to graduate from high school and receive a diploma, they need to complete (according to their current grade level) the following requirements:

Current 9th and 10th graders: They need to take the EXPLORE (taken in 8th grade) and PLAN test (taken in 10th grade) , if the score in the PLAN or ACT test is low, they will need to take the COMPASS test. They will also need to take the ACT test in April of their junior year.

Current 11th graders: They need to take the ACT test April 28 at school. This test is free to students.

Current 12th graders:
Option 1. They need to pass the GRAD test in writing, reading and math;
Option 2. They need to pass the MCA tests in writing reading and math; and
Option 3. They can take the ACT or Accuplacer (it doesn’t matter the score they obtain)

Recommended courses for college preparation: