Graduates Latin Honor System - Pueblo County School District 70

Beginning with the Class of 2028, Pueblo County School District 70 will officially transition to the Latin Laude Honor System for high school graduates.

The Latin Laude Honors System honors graduates with the designation of "cum laude" (Latin for "with honor"). Students are granted titles of Summa Cum Laude, Magna Cum Laude, or Cum Laude based on their grade point average (GPA), allowing students who are at or above a clearly defined cumulative GPA to be recognized for their academic achievement.

Graduating senior transcripts will reflect the cumulative GPA and Laude Honor earned. Students can earn one of three Laude Honors by meeting the following requirements on a 4.0 scale:

Summa Cum Laude (“with the highest honor”) – students earning a 4.0 or higher GPA
Magna Cum Laude (“with great honor”) – students earning a 3.75–3.99 GPA
Cum Laude (“with honor”) – students earning a 3.5–3.74 GPA

Why the Change?

Why the Change?

Most colleges and universities do not recognize weighted grade-point-averages. The Latin Laude Honor System is what is commonly used at most colleges and universities.
Celebrates the achievements of many students, not just the one with the highest GPA. This encourages and motivates students to pursue their interests, talents, and passions to achieve post-secondary goals as indicated through their ICAP rather than taking courses solely to increase class rank
Alleviates the pressure of class rank which can affect students’ emotional well-being
It encourages a well-rounded education and allows students to take more challenging or diverse courses without the fear of adversely affecting their class rank.
Universities/Colleges focus on the rigor of courses taken, test scores, and student involvement in the school and community

Graduation Ceremonies

Graduation Ceremonies

All students graduating with Latin Honors designations shall be recognized at graduation. The method for selecting the top scholar student commencement speaker(s) will be selected from students who have earned the district’s highest Latin Honors designation, Summa Cum Laude. The district recognizes that each of our high schools differ in enrollment, academic programming, course offerings, and opportunities for students. Accordingly, each high school will have a school-specific graduation speaker selection process using one or more of the district-approved criteria listed below.

Cumulative grade point average;
Honor points earned through coursework such as honors/advanced, AP, IB and CE courses
Highest score earned on the state-administered SAT, with state-administered PSAT 10 and PSAT 9 scores used as tiebreakers when applicable

Each high school will identify which criteria it will use, how those criteria will be considered, and any applicable selection or tiebreaking procedures.

Graduation Requirements

Graduation Requirements

Pueblo County School District 70 requires students to earn 25 credits to graduate. Students must also demonstrate college and career readiness in English and Mathematics. Listed below is a breakdown of credit requirements:

English Language Arts: 4 credits
Mathematics: 3 credits
Science: 3 credits
Social Studies: 3 credits
Physical Education: 1.5 credits
Health: 0.5 credit
Electives: 10 credits

Additionally, students must demonstrate readiness for college and career based on at least one measure in Reading, Writing and Communicating, and one measure in Mathematics set for by the State of Colorado Department of Education. These assessment and performance requirements can by found by clicking this LINK.