Graduation Requirements

In all that we do at Marian High School, we strive for excellence. Each year, approximately half of the Marian graduates will have earned the Marian Academic Honors Diploma which is aligned with the Indiana State Academic Honor Diploma. In addition, an average of 98% of Marian graduates attend college immediately after graduation. Those graduates find themselves prepared for the challenges of college because of the varied and rigorous course offerings at Marian, which include AP, ACP, and Dual Credit courses as college level classes.

At its core, Marian High School is a Catholic educational institution. Our foundation is laid on the bedrock of Catholic doctrine. In order to fully support the overarching mission of Marian High School, to prepare our students for citizenship in Heaven, it is essential to educate our students on the fundamentals of the Catholic church teachings. All students, Catholic and non-Catholic, are required to pass eight semesters of theology to provide each with the tools for reaching God’s kingdom.

Marian High School offers three categories of diplomas: 

Marian Diploma           Marian Academic Honors Diploma          Graduation Pathways Diploma

MARIAN DIPLOMA

In order to graduate from high school in Indiana with a Core 40 diploma, the state requires the completion of 40 credits. Core 40 insures the student has met the curricular requirements for admission into Indiana’s public institutions of higher education. All courses are Core 40 unless stated otherwise.

In addition to the Core 40 diploma requirements, Marian graduates are required to pass 8 semesters of theology, regardless of the family’s religious affiliation. Students transferring to Marian are not required to make up theology classes.

The ultimate responsibility for seeing that requirements and credits are completed rests with the individual student and his/her parents.

MARIAN ACADEMIC HONORS DIPLOMA

As a college-preparatory school, Marian graduates earn a large number of academic honors diplomas each year. This diploma is aligned with the Indiana State Academic Honors Diploma requirements.

To earn the Academic Honors Diploma, students must use the following areas of study as elective credits:

• Mathematics: two credits (for a total of 8 math credits)
• Fine Arts: two credits (This must be Fine Arts and not Career Area or Business)
• World Languages: 6-8 credits (must be at least three years of one language or two years of two different languages)

In addition to the above pre-selected electives, students must achieve the following:

• Earn a grade of a “C” or better in courses that will count toward the diploma;
• Have a grade point average of a “B” or better;
• Complete one of the following:
  • Earn four credits in two or more AP courses and take corresponding AP exams
  • Earn six verifiable transcripted college credits in dual credit courses from the approved dual credit list
  • Earn two of the following:

• • • • A minimum of three verifiable transcripted college credits from the approved dual credit list
      • Two credits in AP courses and corresponding AP exams
      • Earn at composite score of 1250 or higher on the SAT and a minimum of 560 on math and 590 on the evidence based reading and writing section
      • Earn an ACT composite score of 26 or higher and complete written section

GRADUATION PATHWAYS

Graduation Pathways is the new standard for graduation from accredited high schools in Indiana, starting with the class of 2023. The goal of Graduation Pathways is to offer students the ability to tailor their individual educational path to suit their talents and interests, in an effort to create an educated and talented workforce able not just to meet the needs of business and higher education, but able to succeed in all postsecondary endeavors.

The counselors at Marian High School invite conversation with prospective parents and students to better explain how Marian has adapted to this new graduation structure. Classes graduating prior to 2023 have the option of using Graduation Pathways to reach their requirements for earning their high school diploma but are not required to do so.

For more information about this new graduation legislation, please visit the following state government website pages:

Indiana Department of Education - Graduation Pathways Program
Graduation Pathways Brochure
Graduation Pathways Brochure - Spanish Version

Graduation Pathways includes three cornerstones, all of which must be satisfied by the 2023 class of Indiana high school graduates and beyond. Students must earn credits that satisfy requirements for their diploma of choice, learn and demonstrate employable skills, and demonstrate post secondary-ready competencies.

These three cornerstones can be satisfied by a list of Pathway Options, enabling the student to tailor his or her educational experience more readily to their interests.