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Grading Policies

The most common GPA scale in the United States and comparable school districts to FCPS is the 10-point grading scale.  But in Fairfax County, FCPS grades are based on a 6-point scale, not a 10-point scale. 
 
Common 10-point Grading Scale 
   90-100 = A                              
   80-89 = B
   70-79 = C 
   60-69 = D 
   Below 60 = F     
FCPS' 6-point Grading Scale
   94-100 = A
   90-93 = B+
   84-89 = B
   80-83 = C+
   74-79 = C
   70-73 = D+
   64-69 = D
   Below 64 = F  
 
In addition, many schools nationwide give extra weights in computing GPA's for Honors and AP/IB courses.  For example, students in neighboring Montgomery County, MD (MOCO) are graded under the 10-point scale and they receive an extra 1.0 for Honors classes and an extra 1.0 weight for AP/IB classes. 

In Fairfax County, FCPS students, who are graded under the 6-point scale, receive NO extra weights for Honors classes, and only a 0.5 weight for AP/IB classes.  As a result, FCPS students are severely disadvantaged when it comes to GPA computations as compared to other students who are graded under a 10-point grading scale with heavier weights for Honors and AP/IB classes. 

Consider this example of how a Fairfax County (FCPS) student and a Montgomery County (MOCO) student with the exact same courseload and exact same percentage grades for each class end up with incredibly divergent GPAs:  FCPS Student Final GPA = 3.5, MOCO Student Final GPA = 4.6
 


FCPS Final Student GPA = 3.5
MOCO Final Student GPA = 4.6