These grading guides explain how grades and GPA work. The first ones cover US schools and colleges. Each one links to a free tool, so you can run your own numbers.
Want a calculator right away? Go to tools for students or grading tools for teachers.
For students
- How to Raise Your GPA: Want to raise your GPA? See how far one semester can move it, with worked scenarios by credit load and retakes, then run your own numbers.
- What Is a Good GPA?: What is a good GPA? It depends on your goal. See the GPAs colleges report for their first-year students, with sources, and how yours compares.
- Does an 89.5 Round Up to a 90? How Grade Rounding Works: Only if your school rounds. Howard County schools round 89.5 to 90, some colleges cut it to 89. See real high school and college rules side by side.
- How Colleges Recalculate Your High School GPA: Many colleges recalculate your high school GPA with their own rules. Compare five published methods and one made-up transcript, from 3.50 to 4.00.
- The German Grading System Explained, from 1.0 to 6.0: How the German grading system works: the 1 to 6 school scale, the 1.0 to 5.0 university scale, the Abitur average and the Bavarian formula.
- How GPA Works in Canada: University of Toronto Examples: How GPA works in Canada: no national scale, the University of Toronto's 4.0 GPA worked out, and confirmed Ontario, Alberta, UBC, York and Quebec rules.
- What Do I Need on My Final to Pass?: What do I need on my final to pass? Use one short formula, see how the final's weight changes the answer, and what to do if you need over 100%.
- How UC GPA Is Calculated, Step by Step: How UC GPA is calculated: A-G letter grades from 10th and 11th grade, one honors point per semester, a cap of 8, and no rounding. Worked examples inside.
For teachers
- How to Curve Grades Fairly: Methods Compared: Flat points, scaling, square root and moved cutoffs, run on one made-up class of 10 scores. See who gains most and when a curve is the wrong fix.
- How to Set Up a Gradebook Students Can Check: Set up a gradebook students can check: choose categories, weights, a late-work rule and a grading scale before term starts, then share them.
- Rubric Grading: Why 2 out of 4 Need Not Mean 50%: A 2 on a four-level rubric can turn into a failing 50% with simple math. Learn how to convert levels into grades you can explain to students.
- Zero, 50% or Missing: How Each Changes a Grade: Is a 50 better than a zero? In our made-up class, a zero costs 17 points and a 50 costs 7 next to a blank. See the math and what district policies say.
- Weighted Grades in Excel and Google Sheets: Build a weighted grade in Excel or Google Sheets with SUMPRODUCT or AVERAGE.WEIGHTED, then handle blanks, empty categories, drops, letters and rounding.
- Standards-Based Report Cards: What a 1 to 4 Means: A 1 to 4 on a standards-based report card shows progress toward a learning goal, not a percent. See how real districts define each level.