CHS Community,
Happy New Year! I hope everyone had a wonderful holiday break spending time with family and friends.
We are very pleased with our students' mindset and their smooth transition back to school following mid-term week and winter break. With the start of the second semester, schedule changes have taken place, and grades from the second quarter are now finalized and posted in Infinite Campus (IC).
Please take a moment to review your student's progress and help them set goals for the upcoming semester. You will also notice a new change on the report card: your student's class rank is now included.
Parent-Teacher Conferences
Our final conference night of the year is February 12. If your student has not made satisfactory progress in a course, please prioritize scheduling a conference with their teacher for that evening.
Class Rank
To ensure our students can fully access and benefit from recently implemented state initiatives and remain competitive for scholarships, we will be reinstating the inclusion of class rank on student transcripts.
This decision is driven by changes to key programs managed by the Ohio Department of Higher Education (ODHE) and recent legislation regarding Ohio Guaranteed Admissions, the Governor's Merit Scholarship Program, and the need to ensure maximum competitiveness and transparency for institutional awards:
Ohio Guaranteed Admissions (OGA) *: This program guarantees undergraduate admission to every Ohio public college and university for students ranked in the top 10% of their graduating class. Furthermore, students in the top 5% are guaranteed admission to the main campus of every state college and university. Without an official class rank available for students early on, these opportunities may be missed.
Governor’s Merit Scholarship (GMS) *: This prestigious, renewable state scholarship is automatically offered to students identified as being in the top 5% of their graduating class. The official class rank calculation is the mandatory metric used by the state to determine eligibility for this significant financial award.
Institutional Admissions and Merit Scholarships: Many private and public universities, both in and outside of Ohio, continue to use class rank as a key metric when evaluating applications for direct admission to highly selective programs and for the awarding of their largest merit-based institutional scholarships. Providing class rank ensures our students are not disadvantaged when competing for these critical awards and opportunities.
How Class Rank Will Be Calculated and Used
Basis of Calculation: Class rank will be calculated based on the student’s cumulative, weighted grade point average (GPA) on high school credit bearing courses. Both weighted and unweighted GPAs will be available on a student's transcript. Class rank at the end of the junior year will be what determines the top 5% for Governor’s Merit Scholarship and Ohio Guaranteed Admissions.
Transcripts: The official class rank (e.g., 12 of 226) will be added to the official high school transcript starting in January 2026 for all grade levels.
Student Impact: This change is being made to proactively position our highest-achieving students for success and financial support when applying to Ohio colleges and universities.
Please direct any specific questions regarding class rank calculation, GPA weighting, OGA or the GMS programs to the Counseling Office at 440-285-4060 or via email to timothy.hurlbut@chardonschools.org.
* Governor's Merit Scholarship / OGA Determination
* Chardon Class Rank Board Policy
Enjoy your weekend.
Mr. Tomco
