The honor roll is a list of middle and high school students who earned high grades in a grading period, such as a quarter, trimester or semester. Most schools use a GPA cut-off, often around 3.5 on a 4.0 scale, and many also require that no single grade falls below a set level, such as a B. The exact rules, and the names of the tiers, are decided by each school or district. You can work out your own GPA with the GPA calculator, and our guide to how to calculate GPA explains the formula.

This guide covers the common requirements and tiers, shows why a high average can still miss the honor roll, and explains how the honor roll compares with the dean’s list and other honors.

What the honor roll means

The honor roll recognizes students who did very well in a specific term. It is a title, not a prize, and it is based on that period only. A student can make it in the first quarter and miss it in the second, so it is worth checking after every report card.

Schools announce it in different ways: a printed list, a certificate, a note on the report card or a mention at an assembly. Some schools record it on the transcript, but many do not, so ask yours.

Typical requirements

• A minimum GPA. About 3.5 on a 4.0 scale is common, although some schools set the bar a little lower or higher.
• A grade floor. Many schools say that no grade may fall below a certain level, such as a B. One low grade can then rule you out even if your average is high.
• A letter-grade rule instead of a GPA. Some schools simply say “all A’s” or “A’s and B’s only”.
• A full course load, with no incompletes in the grading period.
• Conduct or attendance conditions at some schools.

Whether the school uses weighted or unweighted grades also matters, and some give extra points for advanced courses. If you are not sure, ask for the written policy. Our guide on grading scales explained shows how the letter cut-offs themselves can differ.

Types of honor roll

Many schools have more than one level. These are common patterns, but the names and cut-offs are set locally:

Because the tiers vary, a student can be on the “honor roll” at one school with a rule that would earn only a lower tier at another.

The GPA maths

Take six courses with equal credits. On the plus/minus scale an A is 4.0, B+ is 3.3, B is 3.0 and C is 2.0. Here is how some grade patterns do against three common rules:

With six equal courses, a straight-A term minus one B gives 3.83, minus two B’s gives 3.67, minus three B’s gives 3.50 and minus four B’s gives 3.33. So at a 3.5 cut-off you can have up to three B’s in six courses. The fourth row shows the trap: five A’s and one C average 3.67, but the C breaks a grade-floor rule.

If you are close to the line, work out what your last course must give. Suppose five of six courses are done with A, A, B+, B and B, a total of 4.0 + 4.0 + 3.3 + 3.0 + 3.0 = 17.3 grade points. For a 3.5 across six courses you need 3.5 × 6 = 21 points, so the last course must give 21 − 17.3 = 3.7 points. That means at least an A-. To find the exam score that gets you that grade, use the final grade calculator.

Why good students still miss it

• One grade below the floor. A single C can ruin a term. A student with scores of 98, 96, 95, 94, 92 and 70 averages 90.83%, but the 70 is below a “no grade under 80%” rule.
• An incomplete. Missing work can delay or block the decision.
• Weighted vs unweighted. Your own calculation may use a different scale from the school’s.
• Rounding. A 3.49 may not round up to 3.5. See grade rounding and ask how your school treats borderline GPAs.
• Conduct or attendance conditions that are separate from grades.

Honor roll vs other honors

The honor roll is the school-level equivalent of the dean’s list. If you are heading to college, read our guide to the dean’s list to see how the same idea works there.

Does it matter for college?

Only modestly. Colleges look mainly at your GPA, the difficulty of your courses and how your grades have changed over time, and the honor roll is just a summary of one term’s results. You can still list it on an application or a resume, ideally with the grades or years, but a strong overall record matters more than the title. For the numbers behind strong GPAs, see our guides on a 3.5 GPA and a 4.0 GPA.

How to make the honor roll

1. Get the written rule. Find the GPA cut-off, the grade floor and the tier names.
2. Track every course. Enter your scores into a weighted grade calculator so you know where each course stands before the term ends.
3. Protect your weakest grade first. A single low grade can matter more than a perfect average.
4. Plan the final. Use our guide on how to calculate your final grade to see what you need.
5. Ask about extra credit early. See how extra credit works and when to ask.
6. Finish all work. Clear incompletes and hand in late work before the grading period closes.
7. Ask for help early. Use tutoring, teacher office hours and study groups as soon as you start to slip.

Frequently asked questions