Semester Grade Calculator

How High School Semesters Work

In most US and Canadian high schools, your academic year is broken into two semesters. Each semester is usually treated as a "Clean Slate" for your GPA.

A typical semester consists of two quarters (or terms) and one big exam at the end. The school assigns a specific "Weight" to each part.

The 40/40/20 Rule

This is the most common weighting system used in schools:

• Quarter 1: 40% of Semester Grade.
• Quarter 2: 40% of Semester Grade.
• Final Exam: 20% of Semester Grade.

This system puts huge pressure on consistency. You cannot fail both quarters and expect to "Ace the Final" to pass the class. The math simply doesn't work.

Scenario: Can I Still Get an A?

Let's say you slacked off a bit.

• Q1 Grade: 85% (B)
• Q2 Grade: 88% (B+)
• Goal: 90% (A) for the Semester

The Math:
Locked points: (85 * 0.4) + (88 * 0.4) = 69.2 points.
Points needed: 90 - 69.2 = 20.8 points.
Final Exam Needed: 20.8 / 0.2 = 104%.

Cumulative GPA vs. Semester GPA

It is important to understand how this grade fits into the bigger picture.

• Semester GPA: The average of your grades just for this 5-month period.
• Cumulative GPA: The average of ALL your semester grades from Freshman year to Senior year. This is the number colleges look at.

A single bad semester won't destroy your Cumulative GPA, but a string of bad semesters will.

College Variations

Universities often don't use Quarters. They use a simple Midterm/Final system.