Honors Diploma & Seals

Honors Diploma Criteria for the State of Ohio*

Class of 2026 and Beyond

Ohio education guidelines required students to meet all but one of the following criteria. Students may replace options 4, 5 or 6 with a “Student Strength Demonstration.”

Students need to fulfill all but one of the criteria listed below to qualify:

Math	Fourth math must be higher than Algebra II
Science	One additional unit of Advanced Science
Social Studies	One additional unit of Social Studies
World Languages	Three sequential units of 1 world language, or no less than 2 sequential units of two world languages studied
GPA	3.5 cumulative on a 4.0 scale (unweighted)
ACT/SAT	ACT: Score of 27 or higher, SAT: Score of 1280 or higher
Seal Requirement	Earn two additional seals, not including Honors Diploma Seal
Experiential Learning	Field Experience, OhioMeanJobs Readiness Seal**, Portfolio, or Work-Based Learning

*Additional local baseline requirements for the Honors Diploma regardless of what DEW criteria are used:

One year of Bible credit per year of attendance at MCS required.

**Students can use OhioMeansJobs Readiness Seal in 2 additional seals requirement if it is not used in Experiential Learning.

Note: The four years of English required to earn an Ohio high school diploma is not specified in the Honors Diploma chart as there is no additional criteria required beyond 4 credits of English.

Class of 2024 and Class of 2025

Students need to fulfill all but one of the criteria listed below to qualify:

English/Language Arts	4 credits
Mathematics	4 credits, including Algebra I, Geometry, Algebra II, or the equivalent and another higher-level course
Science	4 credits including 2 credits of advanced science
Social Studies	4 credits
Foreign Language	3 credits of the same language or 2 years each of two different languages
Fine Arts	1 credit
Grade Point Average	3.5 on a 4.0 scale (unweighted)
ACT/SAT Score	27 ACT or 1280 SAT or higher

Note: One year of Bible credit per year of attendance at MCS is also required for the MCS Honors Diploma.

Diploma Seal Guidelines

MCS Diploma Seal Guidelines

Community Service Seal

Complete 90 hours of service based on MCS Holistic Spiritual Formation Plan.
All MCS students will graduate with a Community Service Seal

Student Engagement Seal

Earn 100 points based on successful completion of the following activities:

Athletics:

5 points for completion of 1st year in sport
10 points for completion of 2nd year in sport
15 points for completion of 3rd year in sport
20 points for completion of 4th year in sport
5 bonus points for dual sport completion in 1st and 2nd year
10 bonus points for dual sport completion in 3rd and 4th year

Eagle Leadership Experience:

15 points for successful completion -- 11th Grade
20 points for successful completion -- 12th Grade

National Honor Society:

10 points for completion of 1st year
15 points for completion of 2nd year
20 points for completion of 3rd year

School Activities:

5 points - attendance per school-sponsored activity, trip or retreat. (Other clubs and activities may be added in the future.)

Fine/Performing Arts Seal

Earn 100 points based on successful completion of the following activities:

Band/Choir:

5 points for completion of 1st year of class or play
10 points for completion of 2nd year of class or play
15 points for completion of 3rd year of class or play
20 points for completion of 4th year of class or play

Art Classes:

5 points for completion of 1st year
10 points for completion of 2nd year
15 points for completion of 3rd year
20 points for completion of 4th year

Praise Team:

10 points for completion of 1st year
15 points for completion of 2nd year
20 points for completion of 3rd year

Theater:

10 points for 1st play completed
20 points for 2nd play completed
25 points for 3rd play completed
30 points for 4th play completed

Church Worship:

5 points for each church activity or church service performance

Fine Arts Activities:

5 points for each fine arts performance attended

Notes: Students will be required to maintain and submit the appropriate documentation by the end of each school year. Seal progress will be cumulative over 4 years as entered in RenWeb or Google spreadsheets by Guidance Counselor.

Ohio's College-Ready Seal

Students who earn “remediation-free” scores in English language arts and mathematics on a nationally recognized college admission exam (example ACT or SAT) will qualify for Ohio’s College-Ready Seal. The state of Ohio will pay one time for all 11th grade students in the classes of 2018 and beyond to take the exam free of charge.

Remediation-free scores as posted by ODE are as follows:

Math – ACT 22 or SAT 530
Reading – ACT 22 or SAT 480
Writing – ACT English 18 or SAT Writing 480

See Graduation Requirements.

Please see the Parent/Student Handbook for more information.