The GPA (Grade Point Average) is a system of grading used in the education sector that sets a tone of homogenized measurement for assessing the student’s performance on an aggregate basis during their course of study. Primarily used in the U.S., GPA helps schools, colleges, and universities track and monitor their students’ progress.
GPA by the standard is measured out of 4.0. However, some schools allow students to gain extra bonus points that can push their GPA up to 5.0. In fact, one student earned a GPA of 10.04 by taking 17 advanced courses at a school that awarded bonus points.
What is the highest high school GPA?
The highest high school GPA possible is 5.3 on the weighted scale and 4.3 on the unweighted scale. You can refer to the table depicted below for a more comprehensive understanding. However, the extra .3 in both cases can be scored by taking up only advanced programs, which may or may not be feasible in every school.
To understand how you can score this GPA, let us look at the GPA calculations in more detail. We also analyze a sample case scenario to get a thorough understanding.
How do you measure GPA?
Scoring a high GPA can be challenging. But the main question here is, what is the highest high school GPA that an individual can attain? The clear-cut answer to this would be that it entirely depends upon the GPA scale used to calculate it. Is it measured using a weighted scale or through an unweighted scale?
The GPA can be categorized into two categories- weighted and unweighted. Colleges usually mention what type of GPA scale is accepted by them, but, just in case nothing is specified, it is recommended that the students calculate their GPA through the weighted scale method as that would help in scoring the highest high school GPA. As an example, Standford does not publish a minimum GPA required but, most students who get in have GPAs above 3.96 or a SAT score of 1500 or above or an ACT score of 34-35.
Weighted Vs. Unweighted Scale
To understand this more comprehensively, let us dive deeper into the difference between the two measurement scales.
Unweighted GPA is measured on a scale of 0 to 4.3, with 0 being the lowest and 4.3 the highest, and it does not consider the difficulty level of the courses pursued. In contrast, Weighted GPA is measured on a scale of 0 to 5.3 and considers the difficulty level of the courses studied instead of assigning uniform grades to all the subjects.
For easy reference, a comparison table is drawn below for better insights-
| WEIGHTED | UNWEIGHTED | GRADE POINT |
| 5.3 | 4.3 | A+ |
| 5.0 | 4.0 | A |
| 4.7 | 3.7 | A- |
| 4.3 | 3.3 | B+ |
| 4.0 | 3.0 | B |
| 3.7 | 2.7 | B- |
| 3.3 | 2.3 | C+ |
| 3.0 | 2.0 | C |
| 2.7 | 1.7 | C- |
| 2.3 | 1.3 | D+ |
| 2.0 | 1.0 | D |
| 1.7 | 0.7 | D- |
| 0.0 | 0.0 | F |
What should you choose and why?
Let us now understand this with the help of an example that will give us more clarity-
Andrea is applying for higher education at two colleges, ABC and XYZ.
ABC accepts GPA scores through a weighted scale; on the other hand, XYZ accepts unweighted.
So, what would be Andrea’s GPA by the two methods?
Let us assume Andrea had six subjects during high school, which were as follows-
- Advanced Placement (AP) in Physics
- AP United States History (APUSH)
- Biology
- Regular Chemistry
- Spanish
- Regular Mathematics
Her GPA by weighted method would be an A+ grade (5.3) in subject 1, A+ grade (5.3) in subject 2, B grade (4.0) in subject 3, C+ grade (3.3) in subject 4, C grade (3.0) in subject five and D+ (2.3) in subject 6.
In this case, her GPA would be = Total of all the grade points divided by the no. of subjects, which is a GPA of 3.86 out of 5.30. Therefore, if calculated through this method, it is safe to say that the highest GPA one can score is 5.30.
Similarly, if we calculate her GPA for the same subjects but with the unweighted approach, her scores will look something like – A+ grade (4.3) in subject 1, A+ grade (4.3) in subject 2, B grade (3.0) in subject 3, C+ grade (2.3) in subject 4, C grade (2.0) in subject five and D+ (1.3) in subject 6.
Hence, her GPA in this scenario would be = 2.86 out of 4.30. That being the case, if calculated through this method, it is safe to say that the highest GPA that one can score is 4.30
Nonetheless, prospective candidates must note that scoring an extra .3 in both weighted and unweighted is only doable when taking advanced courses, which may or may not be feasible in every school or college. Consequently, the more advanced subjects you take up, the more increased your chances of scoring a high GPA.
To encapsulate, persistence and competence are the key factors that can facilitate a student to score a high GPA in high school. One must gauge the interest areas that would drive them and work toward achieving their goals and targets. So, if you aspire to get into your dream college, you know what to do!
FAQs
-
Usually, GPAs are measured between 0 to 4. Can you score higher than 4?
Yes. Definitely. But it all depends on the scale you are using to measure the GPA. In the case of weighted, the highest GPA that can be scored is 5.3; in unweighted, you can achieve a maximum of 4.3.
-
Is a GPA of 4.7 decent?
If you scored a GPA of 4.7, it was calculated using a weighted scale. A GPA of 4.7 is excellent as it considers the difficulty level of your studied subjects.
