Diploma Information

Students must be enrolled and earn credit in a minimum of 4 academic courses while in attendance at a given high school in order to qualify for a diploma from that high school. If a student attends a DMPS-governed alternative setting/program and is enrolled within the district, the student may also qualify for a home high school diploma if he/she has at least 50% of their required (23) credits earned from the home high school. Principal and administrative team discretion may be necessary in certain circumstances.

Students who transfer from other school systems must be enrolled and complete one full semester’s work in Des Moines Public Schools and meet the local requirements for graduation before receiving a Des Moines high school diploma. A semester’s work is defined as four subjects, which give two units of credit.

When students return to Des Moines Public Schools from international exchange experiences, they should submit grade cards, transcripts, and other explanatory materials from the host schools to the registrar at the appropriate high school.  An evaluation will be made of the courses taken, and  appropriate credit will then be placed on the student’s transcripts.