All Nebraskans should be proud of the success of their high school students. In this day and age, success in the classroom doesn't come easy for some students. Some students come to school not having the as much experience as other students and those with special learning needs may require special education services. Non-native speakers learning English for the first time and moving in or out of school may frequently have significant challenges to their learning.
The number of children experiencing such situations is growing in Nebraska. Despite those challenges, Nebraska's educators have worked hard to improve achievement. Does that hard work pay off? Yes, according to Encarta.msn.com, of those older than 25 years of age in 2003, 90.8 percent had a high school diploma, while the national average was 82.8 percent. State funding is also approaching the national average, which is over $7,000.
Nebraska requires students to complete a minimum of 200 high school credit hours before qualifying for graduation. A minimum of 80 percent of these hours must be completed in core curriculum subjects. According to The Education Commission of the States, www.ecs.org, the requirements for high school graduation are as follows, but check with your local district for a more detailed list:
- Four credits English/language arts
- Two credits mathematics
- Three credits social studies
- Two credits science
- Health Education (determined locally)
- Physical Education (determined locally)
- Fine Arts (determined locally)
- Foreign language (determined locally)
- Approved Electives (determined locally)
