Graduation Requirements

BCHS offers two paths to a diploma – college preparatory and scholars program

BCHS College Preparatory Diploma

The total number of credits required for graduation from Bakersfield Christian High School is 251. Each class earns 5 credits each semester. Community service earns 1 credit for 40 or more hours of service. See the Departments & Curriculum page for course descriptions.

251 Total Credits

BCHS Scholars Program Diploma

Full-time, on-campus students, who attend BCHS for 4 years, qualify for the Scholars Program by completing a required minimum of 6 advanced courses: 2 from the sophomore year and 4 from the junior/senior years (see requirements below). Students must maintain a 3.5 GPA each semester. (The Scholars Program Diploma will be replaced by an Honors Academy diploma beginning with the Class of 2020 for applicable students.)

271 Total Credits

 

Requirement Adjustments for 8 class periods


With the introduction of the 8-period schedule in 2018, BCHS has implemented a yearly progression in anticipation of increased credit opportunities.

  • Class of 2020: 260 credits – including 35 Elective credits
  • Class of 2021 and beyond: 270 credits – including 45 Elective credits

Graduation requirements will be adjusted to accommodate for transfer credits in conjunction with BCHS total credit requirements.
*Transfer students are required to take a semester of Bible for each semester of attendance.

 


  • DIPLOMA REQUIREMENTS
    • The curriculum at BCHS is taught from a Christian worldview. It comprises a required core of studies believed to be fundamental to a liberal arts education, and elective courses designed to fit the needs and interests of the individual student. The course of study follows a traditional college preparatory path, which includes AP offerings. Each student is required to spend the full four years in high school.

      Attending summer school or carrying more than a normal load during the regular school year should be regarded as an enrichment of the student's education rather than an accelerated program that replaces BCHS' course requirements. It is required that BCHS students will complete all of the required courses at this school and not at an alternate academic facility.

      Bible is required for each semester of attendance at BCHS. Required Bible credits are waived for any semester that the student does not attend BCHS prior to enrolling.

      Students are required to be at BCHS with a full seven period course load. Seniors meeting graduation requirements may be permitted to have an unscheduled first, fifth or seventh period. All seniors must have five on-campus classes that count for credit. All exceptions must be petitioned through the Vice President of Academic Growth.
  • SCHOLARS PREREQUISITES & REQUIREMENTS

    • Scholars Prerequisites

      • 3.5 Cumulative GPA in 9th grade
      • Student/Parent request
      • Must meet prerequisites for honors courses by 10th grade.
      • Students are required to enroll in 2 minimum, 3 maximum Honors courses a year (students requesting more than 3 need the approval of the Vice President of Academic Growth) S
      • tudents not meeting all of the criteria for Scholars admission may appeal to the Academic Senate for reconsideration

      Continued Enrollment Requirements

      • Maintain a "C" or better each semester in all Honors or AP courses
      • 3.5 GPA each semester (students who do not have a 3.5 at the end of the 1st semester will be on probation and their cumulative GPA for the year must be a 3.5 to remain in the Scholars Program)
      • Minimum of 2 advanced courses per year starting in sophomore year for a total of 6
      • For every 3 advanced courses, at least one must be a humanities course and one must be a math or science course (not all classes can be from humanities or math/science)
      • Satisfactory behavior/teacher approval at semester
      • Students who do not meet the above requirements will be transferred to college prep courses the following year and will be removed from the Scholars Program
      • Students who do not pass Honors courses with a "C" or better will be transferred to college prep courses the next semester

      Honors & Advanced Placement Options for College Prep Students

      • College prep students who wish to take honors and AP courses must meet the following requirements:
      • Must have a minimum of a "B" in a previous or prerequisite course
      • Must have an overall GPA of 3.0
      • Maintain a minimum of "C" average in Honors or AP course
      • No "D" or "F" grades on transcript in order to take an AP course (excludes repeated courses)
      • Students who do not pass Honors courses with a "C" or better will be transferred to college prep courses the next semester

      Returning students must complete a teacher recommendation form and receive approval for all AP and Honors courses

      No student shall receive a high school diploma from BCHS until all graduation requirements including all tuition and fee accounts are paid in full and community service and volunteer hours are successfully met.

      Credit Retrieval

      Seniors must complete all credit retrieval coursework by the midterm of second semester in order to walk at graduation. Any exceptions must be petitioned through the Vice President of Academic Growth.
  • SUMMER SCHOOL
    • Summer school is predominately designed for students in need of recovering loss credit for courses failed during the school year. All summer school courses must be taken from an accredited program. Seniors who have failed one or more of the graduation requirements will be required to repeat the failed course(s) in an accredited summer school program before being able to receive their high school diploma and their high school transcript showing their graduation date.

      Students wishing to enroll in summer school courses for academic enrichment in any discipline must discuss their plans with their guidance counselor prior to taking the course(s). It is the residency policy of BCHS that all core credit requirements for graduation must be taken at BCHS prior to seeking credit acquisition from another institution. As an example, if BCHS requires three years of math for graduation, a BCHS student may take Algebra 1 at BCHS; Geometry at another institution, but two other math courses such as Algebra 2 and Precalculus must be taken at BCHS in order to meet the three-credit requirement in math for graduation. This same policy holds true with all other departments.

      Advancement enrichment courses from another accredited institution may be placed on the BCHS student transcript, but the grade will not count in a student’s GPA calculations. All exceptions may be petitioned through the office of the Vice President of Academic Growth.
  • TRANSFER STUDENTS
    • A student who requests a transfer to BCHS should have a cumulative GPA of 2.0 or higher and should have made satisfactory progress in meeting the BCHS graduation requirements. A student may be admitted due to special circumstances, in which case specific conditions will be stipulated. It is recommended that application for admission be made at the beginning of the academic year. However, it is possible to admit students midyear, subject to class availability. Normally, students that have been expelled from another school will not be admitted to BCHS.

      When a student transfers to BCHS from an accredited high school only semester grades and units will be posted on the BCHS transcript. When a student transfers to BCHS during the academic year, other than at the beginning of the second semester, the withdrawal grades and/or midterm grades will be averaged with grades earned at BCHS.

      Each student's transfer credits must be evaluated by the Counselor and Registrar before inclusion on a BCHS transcript. In addition, the Vice President of Academic Growth must give approval for any outside courses taken by a student, whether it is to make up an "D," "F" or "Incomplete" grade, or to get ahead in credits.

Contact
NameChai, Steven
PositionVice President of Academic Growth
Phone5511
Email schai@bakersfieldchristian.com
NameWells, Cerrena
PositionDirector of Student Affairs/Dept. Head
Phone5528
Email cwells@bakersfieldchristian.com
NameChandler, Susan
PositionDirector of Counseling
Phone5504
Email schandler@bakersfieldchristian.com
NameGuinn, Audra
PositionRegistrar
Phone5518
Email aguinn@bakersfieldchristian.com
NameConstance, Laura
PositionAdmin. Assistant
Phone5524
Email lconstance@bakersfieldchristian.com