Requirements

Honor Graduates

Students may graduate from Bentonville Schools with Honors or High Honors if they meet the specified criteria for their particular graduating class. Any student transferring from a private school or who has been previously homeschooled is eligible to be recognized as graduating with Honors or High Honors if he/she meets the established criteria listed below. Students meeting graduation requirements in less than eight semesters may qualify for honors listed below omitting only the eight semester requirement. The valedictorian, salutatorian and top ten graduates are selected from the High Honors graduates.

Honors

In addition to meeting graduation requirements for Bentonville Schools and AR Smart Core*, a student must

  • Have a 3.5000 cumulative GPA at the end of eight (8) semesters. GPA is not rounded up from four places.
  • Complete 8 credits from advanced courses. ADE DESE honors our Accelerated/Advanced/Pre-AP, AP/IB, college enrollments, internships/labs or apprenticeships in Ignite Professional Studies or Career Studies, and college courses as advanced.
  • Earn a minimum of two credits from AP or IB or college courses.
  • Successfully complete 26 credits by the end of eight (8) semesters
  • Earned at least two credits of high school level world language or six credit hours of college level world language. These credits must be from the same world language.
*Students who fully complete the IB Diploma are eligible for Honors and High Honors even if they do not have AR Smart Core requirements. All other honors requirements must be met.

High Honors

In addition to meeting graduation requirements for Bentonville Schools and AR Smart Core*, a student must

  • Earn a 3.7500 cumulative GPA at the end of eight (8) semesters. GPA is not rounded up from four places,
  • Complete 12 credits from advanced courses. ADE DESE honors our Accelerated/Advanced/Pre-AP, AP/IB, college enrollments, internships/labs or apprenticeships in Ignite Professional Studies or Career Studies, and college courses as advanced.
  • Earn a minimum of 2 credits from AP, IB, or college courses.
  • Successfully complete 26 credits by the end of eight (8) semesters
  • Earn at least two credits of high school level world language or six credit hours of college level world language. These credits must be from the same world language.
*Students who fully complete the IB Diploma are eligible for Honors and High Honors even if they do not have AR Smart Core requirements. All other honors requirements must be met.

Valedictorian

The valedictorian is the senior student who meets all of the following criteria:

  • meets the criteria to graduate with High Honors.
  • has the highest GPA among the students who have met the criteria to graduate with High Honors.
  • has been continuously enrolled at Bentonville Schools for four consecutive semesters as a full-time student, to include the spring semester of the senior year.
  • has no home school credit on the high school transcript.
In the event of a tie in GPA, co-Valedictorian will be named in lieu of Salutatorian.

Salutatorian

The salutatorian is the senior student who meets all of the following criteria:

  • meets the criteria to graduate with High Honors.
  • has the second highest GPA among the students who have met the criteria for High Honors.
  • has been continuously enrolled at Bentonville Schools for four consecutive semesters as a full-time student, to include the spring semester of the senior year.
  • has no home school credit on the high school transcript.
In the event of a tie in GPA, a co-Salutatorian will be named.

Top Ten Graduates

The top 10 graduates of the senior class are those who meet all of the following criteria:

  • meet the criteria to graduate with High Honors.
  • have the 10 highest GPA among students who have met the criteria to graduate with High Honors.
  • has been continuously enrolled at a Bentonville Schools HS for four consecutive semesters as a full-time student, to include the spring semester of the senior year. For students graduating in December, continuous enrollment for four consecutive semesters would conclude the fall semester of December graduation.