Key takeaways
A 90% in AP Chemistry isn't worth the same as a 90% in a regular section – the weighted scale adds a full point for it. A B in Honors math outscores an A in a standard elective on paper. None of that is obvious from a report card alone, and it's exactly the kind of detail that changes how a transcript reads to a university admissions office months later.
- Legacy uses two GPA scales – unweighted (flat 4.0) and weighted, which adds up to a full point for Honors and AP/Dual Enrollment coursework
- The standard US diploma pathway runs on 24 credits, with a minimum cumulative 2.0 GPA required
- SAT scores stay separate from GPA and, by College Board's own recommendation, off the transcript entirely
- College guidance is optional and priced separately – from a $590 one-time application review up to a $5,990 multi-year package, plus SAT/ACT test prep starting at $49/hour
Contents
We are a US-accredited international online school that coexists with local schooling. Families are responsible for ensuring compliance with any local education requirements applicable to their situation.
Two GPA Scales, Not One
The unweighted scale is simple: A is 4.0, B is 3.0, straight down the line, regardless of what course it came from. The weighted scale changes that. An A in a College Prep course still earns 4.0. The same A in an Honors course earns 4.5. In AP or Dual Enrollment, it’s 5.0 . A course grade itself breaks down as 50% summative assessments, 30% formative work, and 20% final exam – so the GPA a university sees is the output of a full year of work, not one test.
A few grade codes show up that aren’t A through F. A “P” means credit earned but excluded from GPA entirely. “IN” is incomplete – no credit until the coursework closes out. “W” means withdrawn: no credit, and it doesn’t touch GPA either way.
The Credit Count Behind the Diploma
The standard US diploma pathway runs on 24 credits, with a minimum cumulative 2.0 GPA on the 4.0 scale. Depending on the diploma track a student is on, that figure can run closer to 22. Universities don’t always take the GPA at face value, either – many recalculate it under their own formula, especially where Honors, AP, dual enrollment, or an international application is involved. A strong transcript with real course rigor tends to survive that recalculation better than a high GPA built entirely on easier electives.
SAT: Separate From GPA, Separate From the Transcript
SAT scores don’t touch GPA. GPA comes from course grades; the SAT is a standalone College Board exam that some universities require, some recommend, and some don’t consider at all. Legacy doesn’t require it for graduation – it exists purely for the colleges that ask for it.
“College Board recommends that schools don’t place SAT scores on school transcripts.”
Legacy follows that guidance by default. Scores go straight from College Board to the universities a student selects – not through the school at all.
Students with documented needs aren’t left out of the process – accommodations for the SAT are requested and approved directly through College Board’s Services for Students with Disabilities, and Legacy’s Learning Support Specialist team can help organize the academic records that support that request.
None of this – the SAT, the GPA scale, the accommodations process – means much to a university without one thing standing behind the transcript itself: proof that the school issuing it actually meets a recognized academic standard.
“WASC advances and validates quality ongoing school improvement.”
That’s what a university is actually checking for when it looks past the GPA number – not just what the transcript says, but whether the school behind it is accountable to anyone.
What Test Prep and College Guidance Actually Cost
One-on-one SAT/ACT tutoring runs $49/hour, buyable in any amount from 1 to 20 hours – a single session at $49, a full 20-hour block at $980. The group course is $299 per student: 10 sessions, 90 minutes each, capped at 10 students, practice tests included.
College guidance is on a separate track entirely, priced by how much support a family actually wants. A one-time application review runs $590. A focused essay-and-application package for 11th or 12th graders runs $1,990. The most comprehensive option – spanning 9 to 12 months, 55 hours of support across essays, college list building, interviews, and financial aid – runs $5,990. None of it is required to graduate; it’s there for families who want more structure around the process than a transcript alone provides.
Real Families, Real Results
The Al-Balushi family, Salalah. Their son’s GPA looked unremarkable on paper – a 3.2, nothing that jumped out. What didn’t show up in the number was that most of his courses were Honors and AP. Once his target universities recalculated using course rigor rather than the raw GPA, his application read very differently than the transcript number alone suggested.
The Devine family, Umm Al Quwain. Their daughter needed extended time for testing, documented through an existing 504 plan from a previous school. The Learning Support Specialist team helped assemble the academic records for her SSD request before her first SAT sitting, and the accommodation was approved in time for her actual test date – not discovered as a problem after a lower score came back.
Top Tips from Maya Robinson, College Prep Advisor
- Don’t panic over a GPA number in isolation – ask whether it’s weighted or unweighted, and what mix of Honors/AP courses sits behind it, before drawing conclusions
- If SAT accommodations are a possibility, start the SSD documentation early – the process runs through College Board, not through last-minute paperwork the week of the test
- A $590 one-time review can be enough for a family that mostly has things handled; the $5,990 package earns its price for a family starting from zero with a year to go
- GPA recalculation by universities is common enough to expect, not fear – course rigor matters more to that recalculation than the number on the transcript
This article provides general information about Legacy Online School’s academic records and college guidance services. We are a US-accredited international online school that coexists with local schooling. Families are responsible for ensuring compliance with any local education requirements applicable to their situation. Confirm current pricing and package details directly with admissions.
