Graduation Requirements for Lake County School District
Lake County School District has two high schools that have different graduation requirements and receive a diploma from their school of graduation. Lake County High School is classified by the Colorado Department of Education as a traditional high school and must meet the state requirements for a traditional high school. Students meeting the graduation requirements for Lake County High School will receive a Lake County High School diploma. Cloud City High School is classified by Colorado Department of Education as an alternative education campus “AEC” and must meet the state requirements for an alternative high school. Students meeting the graduation requirements for Cloud City High School will receive a Cloud City High School diploma.
Graduation Requirements for Lake County High School
Lake County High School values diverse educational experiences for our students. Through a variety of course offerings and partnerships with our local community students are able to explore different career pathways, post-secondary options and participate in internships.
To receive a high school diploma from Lake County High School students must meet or exceed the district’s academic standards and measures required by this policy. Students with disabilities shall be provided access to all graduation pathways provided by this policy and shall have the opportunity to earn a high school diploma from the district. Any modifications to the graduation credit requirements or pathways as outlined below for students in special education will be outlined within the student’s individualized education plan (IEP).
Students at Lake County High School will be required to complete:
- Credit Requirements: Complete a Graduation Pathway and 26 Credits.
- Complete an approved internship that aligns with the chosen pathway.
- Through the course of a student’s high school career, each student must complete a minimum of 60 contact hours (1 credit) of an internship within the career field aligned to the pathway. The student’s specific internship must be approved in advance by the high school counseling office. Any additional contact hours of internship may qualify as elective hours but must be pre-approved by the counseling department and can not count toward more than 50% of the elective credits required for the pathway.
- Completion of College and Career Readiness Demonstration (CDE Menu of Options)
- Completion of an ICAP: Individual Career and Academic Plan
| Lake County High School Graduation Pathways | ||
| Mt. Sherman14,043ft | Mt. Massive14,427ft | Mt. Elbert14,438ft |
| English (4 Credits)English 9English 10 | English (4 Credits)English 9English 10 | English (3 Credits)English 9English 10 |
| Math (4 Credits)Integrated IIntegrated IIIntegrated IIICollege Algebra | Math (3 Credits)Integrated IIntegrated II CoreMath for Liberal Arts | Math (3 Credits)Integrated I |
| Social Studies (3 Credits)World HistoryUS HistoryGovernment | Social Studies (3 Credits)World History or US HistoryGovernment | Social Studies (2 Credits)World History or US HistoryGovernment |
| Science (3 Credits) | Science (3 Credits) | Science (2 Credits) |
| Foreign Language (3 Credits) | Foreign Language (1 Credits) | Foreign Language (1 Credits) |
| Personal Finance (.5 Credits) | Personal Finance (.5 Credits) | Personal Finance (.5 Credits) |
| Physical Education (.5 Credit) | Physical Education (.5 Credit) | Physical Education (.5 Credit) |
| Fine Arts (.5 Credit) | Fine Arts (.5 Credit) | Fine Arts (.5 Credit) |
| Heath (.5 Credit) | Heath (.5 Credit) | Heath (.5 Credit) |
| Internship (1 Credit) | Internship (1 Credit) | Internship (1 Credit) |
| Freshman Core (.5 Credit) | Freshman Core (.5 Credit) | Freshman Core (.5 Credit) |
| Sophomore Core (.5 Credit) | Sophomore Core (.5 Credit) | Sophomore Core (.5 Credit) |
| Junior Core (.5 Credit) | Junior Core (.5 Credit) | Junior Core (.5 Credit) |
| Senior Core (.5 Credit) | Senior Core (.5 Credit) | Senior Core (.5 Credit) |
| Electives (4 Credits) | Electives (7 Credits) | Electives (10 Credits) |
| Mt. Elbert Graduation Plan is by team recommendation and application only. Specific aspects of the pathway must be approved by admin, student, parent, and team. | ||
| 26 Credits | 26 Credits | 26 Credits |
- Student, parent/guardian and school staff will select and approve which Graduation Plan/Mountain (Sherman, Massive) is best for their student. Selection of the Mt. Elbert graduation plan requires an application and recommendation process. Final approval for the Mt. Elbert graduation plan will be made by the principal and/or principal’s designee.
- When possible, electives should be tied to your specific Career Pathway.
- Every student needs to take one (1) course that fulfills the state requirement of Holocaust and Genocide Studies.
- Each Graduation Plan requires College and Career Readiness Demonstration (CDE Menu of Options)
- To earn the internship credit, students must successfully complete 60 hours and/or have an approved plan. The principal and/or principal’s designee reserves the right to determine successful completion of the internship requirement.
- For the class of 2025 and 2026, students may substitute different Social Studies courses for the World History requirement in which they successfully passed.
- For the class of 2027, successfully passing World History and Geography will meet the World History requirement.
- The principal and/or principal’s designee reserves the right to substitute courses within each graduation pathway.
Demonstration of readiness in English and Math is required. Menu of college and career readiness demonstrations include:
Accuplacer, ACT, ACT Workeys, Advance Placement, ASVAB, Concurrent Enrollment, International Baccalaureate, SAT, Collaboratively developed, standards-based performance assessment, District Capstone and Industry Certificate
https://www.cde.state.co.us/postsecondary/graduationguidelines
Seal of Climate Literacy
Description: Lake County School District students who have shown competency in the Climate Literacy Principles have the opportunity to add a Seal of Climate Literacy Endorsement to their diploma. Proficiency is demonstrated by passing two high school level courses, one being a high school science course and one being any other course that addresses climate literacy principles. In addition, students must show evidence of a culminating project that demonstrates their understanding of climate change and their ability to apply that knowledge in a real-world context and present their final experiential learning project to a panel of students, teachers, and/or community members.
Students will complete the “Climate Literacy” form to indicate that they have completed each requirement below:
- HS Science Course
- Climate Literacy Course
- Experiential Learning Project
| Lake County High School Course Proficiency Requirements | Lake County Experiential Learning Requirements |
| HS Science Course (includes Earth & Space Science, Biology, or Chemistry)Climate Literacy Course Environmental Science – Students demonstrate knowledge and understanding of the environment and its intersection with society through investigations that allow them to analyze data and develop conclusions. Students use this knowledge to create and evaluate effective solutions through individual and community action. Professionals in the field share their career pathways and support positive student engagement. Specific topics studied include agriculture, water quality, endangered species, and oceans.Clay & Climate: Sculpting Awareness CMC CoursesHIST 2152: American Environmental HistoryPHIL 2018: Environmental EthicsENV 1111: Intro to Environmental ScienceECO 2045: Issues in Environmental EconomicsENV 1010: Natural DisastersIf a student feels they have completed a climate-based course outside of those here, they can self-report their competency in each climate literacy principle. | Internship or Service Learning Project (options suggested below, but ultimately based on student choice/interest)Cloud City FarmLeadville SolarParkville WaterClimax MineIndependent Research Community ImprovementEducationGarden Soil TestingFood Equity CommitteeRecycling and CompostZero WasteCommunity EventsSchool Board/City Council AdvocacyRiver WatchCitizen ScienceAnd more! |
| Seal Celebration/Presentation: To receive the Seal of Climate Literacy, students must demonstrate they have met the requirements and share their accomplishments in a presentation to their peers, teachers, board, or community. |
Graduation Requirements for Cloud City High School
Cloud City High School’s mission is to provide a high school experience, designed to equip students with a strong academic foundation that nurtures skill development, fosters social growth, encourages exploration of interests, and prepares students for success in college, career, and community engagement in the 21st century. We offer a fresh start opportunity for students who have faced challenges in traditional high school settings, empowering them to cultivate academic, social, and vocational competencies necessary to become collaborative individuals capable of making informed life choices. Our commitment is to ensure that every student, irrespective of past struggles, receives individualized support to achieve personal, social, and professional growth, enabling them to pursue their post-secondary career aspirations with confidence and resilience.
Competency Pathway
We use a combination of in-school participation, concurrent enrollment courses, work-based learning (internships – paid and unpaid), and participation in LCHS electives to account for weekly attendance.
The competency pathway at CCHS requires students to demonstrate 21st century skills and show their career readiness by developing and working as directed by an Individual Career Academic Plan documented in their Capstone Portfolio Project through the 21st century interdisciplinary themes:
- College and/or Career Technical Education Readiness
- Global Awareness
- Civic Literacy
- Health Literacy
- Financial Literacy
- Environmental Literacy
- Media Literacy
- Mathematics
The competency pathway is only available at Cloud City High School and although it is a non-credit based pathway, some credits are available as students work toward graduation.
| Competency/Mastery | Activity | Planned Measure |
| Demonstrate mastery of: Technical, academic, and employability skills to acquire a desired job or enter post-secondary education institution. | Work Based Learning: Workforce Boot Camp Post-Secondary Prep (courses could be taken multiple times) | Progress marked each semester, {I for In-Progress or P for Proficient} when enrolled in these courses until competency has been demonstrated on the ICAP Portfolio Workforce Readiness page. |
| Demonstrated readiness in professional work ethic and meeting employer expectations through career readiness activities to improve employability. | Work Based Learning: BUS Internship course and/or qualified industry credential programs, pre-apprenticeships and apprenticeships from list of approved programs on CDE.https://www.cde.state.co.us/postsecondary/hb18-1266 | Successful completion of an internship or acquisition of a qualified industry credential |
| Demonstrated readiness for college and career based on measures in Reading, Writing and Communicating, and one measure in Mathematics. | Pass Workkeys tests (Applied Math, Graphic Literacy, and Workplace Documents at the “silver” level) or other authorized assessments agreed upon by CCHS from CDE Menu of Options https://www.cde.state.co.us/postsecondary/graduationguidelines | 1.0 credit (per exam once passed with a score of 4 or higher. Progress marked each semester, {I for In-Progress or P for Proficient} until competency has been demonstrated. |
| Demonstrated graduation readiness through an ICAP Portfolio showcasing how the student has met all the 21st century interdisciplinary themes. | Completed ICAP Portfolio defense in front of a committee before graduating graded on scoring rubric. | credit marked with P for competency once proficient per the graded scoring rubric of the ICAP Portfolio |
| Demonstrate Mastery of the 21st Century Theme and Standards of Civic Literacy | Civics course with passing grade or transfer course equivalency (transfer course must be authorized during enrollment) | Progress marked each semester, {I for In-Progress or P for Proficient} when enrolled in these courses until competency has been demonstrated on the ICAP Civic Literacy page. |
| Demonstrate Mastery of the 21st Century Theme and Standards of Global Awareness | Mastery could be gained through CCHS course Global Awareness or transfer course equivalency (transfer course must be authorized during enrollment) | Progress marked each semester, {I for In-Progress or P for Proficient} when enrolled in these courses until competency has been demonstrated on the ICAP Global Awareness page. |
| Demonstrate Mastery of the 21st Century Theme and Standards of Health Literacy | CCHS course Health or transfer course equivalency (transfer course must be authorized during enrollment) | Progress marked each semester, {I for In-Progress or P for Proficient} when enrolled in these courses until competency has been demonstrated on the ICAP Health Literacy page. |
| Demonstrate Mastery of the 21st Century Theme and Standards of Financial Literacy | CCHS Course Financial Literacy or transfer course equivalency (transfer course must be authorized during enrollment) | Progress marked each semester, {I for In-Progress or P for Proficient} when enrolled in these courses until competency has been demonstrated on the ICAP Portfolio Financial Literacy page. |
| Demonstrate Mastery of the 21st Century Theme and Standards of Environmental Literacy | CCHS Course Environmental Literacy or transfer course equivalency (transfer course must be authorized during enrollment) | Progress marked each semester, {I for In-Progress or P for Proficient} when enrolled in these courses until competency has been demonstrated on the ICAP Portfolio Environmental Literacy page. |
| Demonstrate Mastery of the 21st Century Theme Standards of Mathematics | CCHS Course Career Math or transfer course equivalency (transfer course must be authorized during enrollment) | .Progress marked each semester, {I for In-Progress or P for Proficient} when enrolled in these courses until competency has been demonstrated with a level 4 on the Applied Math WorkKeys Assessment. |
| Concurrent-enrollment course or elective taken at LCHS | Graded and credited according to district-wide practices | |
| Crew (Academic Support) | Progress marked each semester, {I for In-Progress or P for Proficient} when enrolled in these courses until competency has been demonstrated on the ICAP Portfolio About Me page. | |
| Demonstrate competency/mastery using acquired skills to engage in projects benefiting the community and reflecting on the impact of service. | Service Learning | Service Learning Project(s) outside of class time impacting humans, animals, or the environment Project(s) documented on the About Me ICAP Portfolio page |
Students receiving Special Education services who are working toward graduation in the competency pathway will have requirements informed by their IEP.
Seal of Climate Literacy
Students must complete and pass two courses: Global Awareness and Environmental Literacy (or equivalent course with approval of Environmental Literacy teacher.) In addition, students must complete a final experiential learning project through an internship, service-learning project or series of career road trip reflections geared towards climate change. All must be documented and presented during the student’s portfolio defense.
Additional information pertaining to both Lake County High School and Cloud City High School
Seal of Biliteracy
Students who are fluent in two languages may obtain a Seal of Biliteracy. The Seal of Biliteracy is awarded to students who demonstrate competency in English and a world (second) language (i.e. Spanish). Students must meet proficiency in one of the following measures for English and a world language:
| English Proficiency Demonstrations: | World Language Proficiency Demonstrations: |
| •Scoring a 470 or higher on the SAT section of “Evidenced-Based Reading and Writing”•Scoring a 3 or higher on the AP Advanced Placement English Language and Composition or the AP English Literature and Composition Exam•Scoring 4 or higher on the English A, English Literature A or English A1 of the IB International Baccalaureate Exams•Passing grade for English Composition I | •Scoring 3 or higher on a World Language AP Advanced Placement test•Scoring 4 or higher on a World Language IB International Baccalaureate test•Successfully completing a 4-year high school course of study of a single World Language with an overall grade-point average of at least 3.0•Achieving a passing score on nationally recognized test |
Credit from Other Institutions and Home-Based Programs
The principal or principal’s designee shall determine whether credit toward course requirements shall be granted for courses taken outside the district.
In accordance with applicable state law, college courses completed pursuant to the student’s participation in a “dropout recovery program” shall count as credit toward completion of the district’s credit requirements.
Students entering from home-based education programs must submit student work or other proof of academic performance for each course for which credit is sought.
Class Rankings and Grade Point Averages
Lake County High School and Cloud City High School do not implement class rank. If a student has a need for a class rank or percentage for purposes such as admission to a college, a scholarship program, or a similar post secondary opportunity, then they can request this through the school’s counseling office.
If student rank is requested by the student, then the student shall be ranked within the graduating class on the basis of grade-point averages “GPA” for the four-year program, excluding the last semester of the senior year. The student with the highest GPA will be valedictorian. When more than one student holds the same GPA, all students holding the GPA score will be declared co-valedictorians. The student with the second highest GPA will be salutatorian. When more than one student holds the same GPA, all students holding the GPA score will be declared co-salutatorians.
After a course has been passed, no future grade earned in the same course shall be used to determine grade point average.
When transcripts of transfer or home-based education program students show grades such as pass or satisfactory, such grades shall not be counted in determining grade point average. When transcripts of transfer or home-based education program students show grades such as letter or numeric scores, such grades shall be counted in determining grade point average.
Lake County High School Grade Scales
Grade scales provide a method of scoring students’ academic performance or coursework and correspond letter grades to numeric scales.
Grade scale conversions for Lake County High School is as follows:
| Grade Percentage Scale Conversion | Grade Point Average Scale Conversion |
| A = 93-100% | A = 4.0 |
| A- = 90-92% | A- = 3.7 |
| B+ = 88-89% | B+ = 3.4 |
| B = 83-87% | B = 3.0 |
| B- = 80-82% | B- = 2.7 |
| C+ = 78-79% | C+ = 2.4 |
| C = 73-77% | C = 2.0 |
| C- = 70-72% | C- = 1.7 |
| D+ = 68-69% | D+ = 1.4 |
| D = 63-67% | D = 1.0 |
| D- = 60-62% | D- = 0.7 |
| F = 0-59% | F = 0.0 |
Courses taken as concurrent enrollment courses through Colorado Mountain College or other accredited colleges that are considered by the State of Colorado as guaranteed transfer courses will be graded on a 5.0 scale, with each of the grades above except an F increased by a point value of 1.0.
Cloud City High School Grade Scale
| I = In-Progress = Currently being worked on or is not finished yet | P = Proficient = Competency Met |
Early Graduation
The Board of Education believes that most students benefit from four years of high school experience and are encouraged not to graduate early. However, in some cases, students are ready for postsecondary education or other opportunities at an earlier age. Therefore, the principal may grant permission to students wishing to graduate early, provided the student has met all district graduation requirements in accordance with this policy.
Adopted: Prior to September 2018
Revised: September 2018
Revised: September 2020
Revised: July 2022
Revised: July 2023
Revised: April 2024
Revised: April 2025
LEGAL REFS.: C.R.S. 22-1-104 (teaching history, culture, and civil government)
C.R.S. 22-1-104.7 (2)(a) (requirement to incorporate Holocaust and Genocide studies standards into existing course required for graduation)
C.R.S. 22-32-109 (1)(kk) (Board to establish graduation requirements that “meet or exceed” state graduation guidelines)
C.R.S. 22-32-132 (discretion to award diploma to honorably discharged veterans)
C.R.S. 22-33-104.5 (home-based education law)
C.R.S. 22-35-101 et seq. (Concurrent Enrollment Programs Act)
CROSS REFS.:Administrative policies:
AE, Accountability/Commitment to Accomplishment
AEA, Standards Based Education
IHBG, Home Schooling
IHBK, Preparation for Postsecondary and Workforce Success
IHCDA, Concurrent Enrollment
IK, Academic Achievement
IKA, Grading/Assessment Systems
Lake County School District R-1, Leadville, Colorado