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Frisco ISD graduation requirements

What it takes to graduate from a Frisco ISD high school, based on the district's 2026-27 High School Academic Guide.

Last checked October 18, 2026About 3 min readUnofficial

Unofficial guide. Rules can change each year. Always confirm with your school counselor and the official pages linked at the bottom.

The default plan for every student

Every Frisco ISD student is on the Foundation High School Program with an Endorsement and the Distinguished Level of Achievement. That's the highest graduation plan in Texas, and it's needed for top-10% automatic admission to Texas public universities.

It takes 26 credits, including two credits Frisco ISD requires locally, plus four credits in a related sequence of courses (the endorsement). Graduating on the basic 25-credit Foundation plan is possible only in rare cases, with parent and administrator approval after 10th grade.

The 26 credits by subject

SubjectCreditsWhat's required
English4English I, II, III and IV (or AP / dual credit versions)
Math4Algebra I, Geometry, Algebra II (required for the Distinguished Level), and a 4th math
Science4Biology; IPC, Chemistry or Physics; and two more
Social studies4World Geography, World History, US History, Government (½), Economics (½)*
World language2Two credits in the same language
Fine arts1Art, band, choir, orchestra, theatre, dance and others
Physical education1PE classes or approved substitutes
Speech½Professional Communications or an approved substitute (Frisco ISD requirement)
Health½Health (Frisco ISD requirement)
Technology1A technology applications course (Frisco ISD requirement)
Additional courses4Any courses, often the ones in your endorsement
Total26

*See the note on Personal Financial Literacy below.

New for the Class of 2030 and later: Personal Financial Literacy

Under a 2025 Texas law (HB 27), students who enter 9th grade in 2026-27 or later take a ½-credit Personal Financial Literacy course instead of the ½-credit Economics requirement. The Texas Education Agency explained the change in a September 2026 update. Frisco ISD's 2026-27 Academic Guide doesn't describe it yet, so ask your counselor which course fills it.

Ways to meet some requirements

  • PE: athletics, marching band (each fall semester counts for ½ PE credit), dance or drill team 1, color guard, cheer, NJROTC (Lebanon Trail), athletic trainer, or approved off-campus PE. No more than four substitutions in total.
  • Speech: Professional Communications, Debate I–III, AP Seminar, dual credit speech and some others.
  • Technology: Computer Science I, Digital Media, Audio/Video Production I, Business Information Management I, Engineering Design (PLTW), 3D Modeling & Animation and others.
  • World language: Spanish, French, Chinese (online only), or American Sign Language. Up to two credits can come from certain computer science courses instead. Many universities still expect a language, so check before choosing this.
  • Health: a one-semester Health class (offered from 8th grade), or full-year Health Science (10th–12th).

Other graduation requirements

  • Five STAAR end-of-course (EOC) exams: English I, English II, Algebra I, Biology and US History. "Approaches Grade Level" is passing, and students who don't pass can retest.
  • FAFSA: seniors submit the FAFSA, the TASFA, or an opt-out form.
  • Endorsement: complete the course sequence for at least one endorsement (see the endorsements guide).

Grade level is based on credits

At the start of each school year: 6 credits to be a sophomore, 12 to be a junior, and 18 to be a senior.

Extras that aren't required

Students who log 100 hours of community service in grades 9–12 (in Xello, by April 1 of senior year) wear a cord at graduation. Performance acknowledgments for things like AP exam scores, college-ready test scores and biliteracy can also be added to the transcript.

Check your own plan

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Official sources