What's the Average High School GPA?

Many high schoolers worry about their GPAs. Your grade point average is an important part of your college applications, so it's definitely something you should pay attention to. But while we all want a really high GPA, we don't always realize what a high GPA actually is. A study released by the National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP) called "America’s High School Graduate" can tell us what the average GPA looks like.

Overall GPAs increased from 2.68 in 1990 to 3.00 in 2009 with increasing course loads. In 2009, graduates earned more than three credits more than their 1990 counterparts, or about 420 additional hours of instruction during their high school careers.

A greater percentage of 2009 graduates completed more challenging curriculum levels than 1990 or 2005 graduates. Plus, nearly two-thirds of graduates who attended a rigorous curriculum took algebra before high school.

Worried about your grades if you're falling below the 3.0? Don't be! Improving your GPA isn't impossible - with a little hard work and some dedication, you can turn a so-so grade point average into an impressive GPA that will get you into the college of your dreams.