Williamson County Schools Announces GPA Change for Transfer Students

Exterior of Ravenwood High School (Photo by Williamson County Schools)

At last month’s school board work session, Williamson County Schools Superintendent Jason Golden confirmed that an enrollment trend the district has been monitoring is continuing this school year.

Golden said kindergarten enrollment is down by 1,300 students but the district’s overall enrollment is only down .02 percent. That’s possible because other grades are seeing student growth with families moving in, and Golden says it’s especially noticeable for older students. 

“The increase that we’ve seen right now is largely at the high school level,” said Golden. “At the moment, our numbers show 125 more seniors than last year’s junior class.”

Over the weekend Williamson County Schools announced a change to help make the transfer process easier for those transferring in as high school students.

GPA to be Recalculated

Beginning this school year, the district plans to recalculate each transfer student’s grade point average (GPA) from their prior schools using Williamson County Schools’ weighted scale for honors and other higher-level courses.

For example, Williamson County students taking honors and Pre-AP courses receive three additional points to the grades used to calculate their semester average. Students taking local and statewide dual credit and capstone industry certification-aligned courses receive an additional four points, and those taking advanced placement, Cambridge International, International Baccalaureate Courses, and college-level exam programs receive five.

Previously, the district used a student’s transfer GPA as is, regardless of whether the prior school used a similar weighted scale.

“This decision was made after an evaluation with input from schools,” wrote the district on its Facebook page. “This consistent and equitable process will ensure alignment with the district's weighted GPA scale and support fair academic recognition and opportunities after high school.”

The district says that transferring students will receive their updated transcripts by the end of September. Families who disagree with the recalculated GPA have the option of requesting an appeal by contacting the school principal and counselor within 10 school days of notification.