About the CPS Grading Scale
Chicago Public Schools serves approximately 323,251 students across Chicago in IL. The district publishes its grading scale through the academics office; the cutoffs on this page reflect policy verified on 2026-04-18.
CPS-Specific Grading Notes
Chicago Public Schools reports A through F letter grades with plus and minus modifiers on secondary-school transcripts. CPS assigns quality points using the standard 4.0 scale with +0.33 / -0.33 adjustments for plus/minus variants.
Letter Grade Cutoffs
| Letter Grade | Percent Range |
|---|---|
| A | 90–100% |
| B | 80–89% |
| C | 70–79% |
| D | 60–69% |
| F | Below 60% |
Weighted GPA at CPS
CPS caps unweighted GPA at 4.0 and weighted GPA at 5.0. Course-rigor bonuses are added to the base grade point value before averaging, so a strong grade in an advanced course carries more weight toward the weighted number that colleges evaluate.
Weighted GPA = Sum((Grade Points + Rigor Bonus) × Credits) / Sum(Credits)
- Grade Points = 4.0 (A), 3.0 (B), 2.0 (C), 1.0 (D), 0.0 (F)
- Rigor Bonus = Honors: +1.0, AP: +1.0, IB: +1.0
- Credits = course credit hours (typically 1.0 per full-year course)
Rigor Bonus Summary
- Honors: +1.0
- AP: +1.0
- IB: +1.0
CPS Report Card Schedule
Grades at CPS are reported on a quarters cycle, four quarterly report cards plus a final exam cycle. Each reporting period typically has a cut-off date after which teachers finalize grades in the gradebook. Live in-progress grades are visible through PowerSchool throughout the reporting period.
Source and Verification
The grading scale and GPA policy shown here is published by Chicago Public Schools and was last verified on 2026-04-18. The original policy document is at https://www.cps.edu/sites/cps-policy-rules/. Policies may change between school years; confirm cutoffs with your school counselor before making GPA-dependent decisions.