Welcome to RHS Freshman Warriors!

You are beginning your high school academic careers, but DO NOT lose focus! Freshman year is the foundation of your academics because once you struggle this year, it will be harder to get out of it later on Below are resources to make your Freshman year of high school successful!

If you have any questions, reach out to your School Counselor corresponded to the first letter of your last name.

Graduation Requirements

Tennessee Graduation Requirements (23 Credits Total)

English	4 Credits	World Language	2 Credits
Math	4 Credits	Fine Art	1 Credit
Science	3 Credits	Personal Finance	0.5 Credit
Social Studies	3 Credits	Elective Focus	3 Credits
Wellness	1.5 Credits	Computer Science	1 Credit

Graduation Recognitions & Information

Rutherford County High School Graduation Requirements are here.

Graduating with Honors

Students who graduate with honors must score at or above ALL of the subject area readiness benchmarks on the ACT or equivalent score on the SAT.

English: 18

Math: 22

Reading: 22

Science: 23

Graduating with Distinction

Students must have a 3.0 GPA AND meet one of the following criteria:

Earn a nationally recognized industry certification (CTE Teachers will identify these students prior to graduation)
Earn statewide recognition or award at a skill or knowledge-based state tournament,
convention, or competition hosted by a statewide student organization, and/or qualify for national recognition by a national student organization (Student's who win one or more of these will need to provide proof of award to their School Counselor)
Participate in at least one (1) Governor's School - https://www.tn.gov/education/instruction/tdoe-governors-schools.html
Participate in an All-State musical organization (Band and Choir)
Be selected as a National Merit Semifinalist or Finalist (Only for students taking the PSAT) Students interested may start this process in their junior year
Earn a score of 31 or higher on your ACT
Earn a score of 3 or higher on 2 of your AP exams
Earn 12 or more semester hours of transcripted postsecondary credit in Dual Enrollment courses

Valedictorian/Salutatorian Information

Highest School Wide GPA
12 Honors, Advanced Honors, (AP) Advanced Placement, or Dual Enrollment Courses
Graduate with Distinction
In the case of a tie with GPA, the student with the highest Composite ACT Score will be awarded Valedictorian. This is based on your ACT Composite, not your super score. If more than one student ties for first place with both GPA and ACT Composite then we will have more than one Valedictorian.
The runner up to the top ACT & GPA Score(s) will be awarded Salutatorian

Per Rutherford County School Board Policy 4.602, this must be completed April 15th of their graduating year.

Community Service

Students who voluntarily complete at least ten (10) hours of community service each semester the student is in attendance at a public high school should be recognized at graduation.

Student cannot be paid to do volunteer work.
Volunteer work cannot be done for a family member.
The student is responsible for tracking volunteer hours and submitting volunteer hours to their counselor each semester.

Work Ethic Distinction

Students graduating with a district-developed work ethic distinction should be recognized at their graduation ceremony. TN Work Ethic Distinction

WorkKeys

Students graduating with a gold or platinum medal on National Career Readiness Certificate (WorkKeys) should be recognized at graduation. WorkKeys

NCAA Requirements (Student Athletes)

If you aspire to compete in a college sport, here is some information to help you get there:

You need to begin planning for this path in your freshman year of high school.

Make sure that you speak to your school counselor and let him/her know that you are interested in pursuing a sport in college, so that they help to ensure you take everything you need to be eligible to enter a four year program directly after high school graduation. This way, they can be sure to enroll you in the appropriate classes throughout your high school career, as not all courses are accepted by NCIA and NAIA.

In order to be eligible to participate in recruiting by college coaches, you must sign up at either the NCAA or NAIA Eligibility Center. Please talk to your coach and see where they would recommend you sign up.

NCAA Eligibility Center - https://web3.ncaa.org/ecwr3/

NAIA Eligibility Center - https://www.playnaia.com/hsRegister.php

See the checklists and charts below for more helpful information.

Rutherford County Schools NCAA Approved Courses and Checklist: RCS NCAA Checklist

College and Career Planning

C/O 2028: Freshman Class Presentations

C/O 2028: Freshman Information

Graduation Requirements