Graduation Requirements

High School students must complete 44 academic credits for graduation (each full-time, semester-long class represents one credit). Minimum subject area requirements are as follows: 

• • English - 8 credits (4 years)

  • History - 8 credits (4 years)

  • Mathematics - 6 credits (3 years, although 4 years are recommended for college applications)

  • Science - 6 credits (3 years)

  • Foreign Language - 2 credits (1 year)

  • Electives - 7 credits (3½ years)

  • Arts - 2 credits (1 year)

  • Health - 1 credit, 1 semester)

  • Physical Education - 4 credits (4 years)

Students must have at least 8 credits for promotion to 10th grade, 20 credits for promotion to 11th grade, and 30 credits for promotion to 12th grade.

Lyons Community School is proud to be a member of the New York State Performance Standards Consortium—a network of innovative public schools committed to deeper learning and authentic assessment.

As part of this model, Lyons students take only one Regents exam (in English Language Arts) and demonstrate their learning through four in-depth Performance-Based Assessment Tasks (PBATs) in Math, Science, Literature, and Social Studies. These PBATs are rigorous, research-driven projects that require students to think critically, solve real-world problems, and present their findings to a panel.

To earn a New York State Regents diploma, students must achieve a rating of competent or higher on each PBAT, which is developed and evaluated by teachers using state-approved rubrics.

This approach allows students to show what they know in meaningful ways—through writing, analysis, experimentation, and presentation—preparing them not just for graduation, but for college, careers, and life beyond school.