To earn a Massachusetts diploma, a student must meet the Competency Determination (CD) standard and meet local graduation requirements. The Massachusetts Education Reform Law of 1993, G.L. c. 69, § 1D established the requirement that all students meet the Competency DeterminationCD standard. In November 2024, Massachusetts voters approved a ballot question that amended the Competency DeterminationCD requirement in the law. In May 2025, the Board of Elementary and Secondary Education voted to amend the Competency DeterminationCD regulations, 603 CMR 30.00 , in accordance with the legislative changes.
As described in the regulations, the CD represents two accomplishments: showing a mastery of skills in English language arts, mathematics, U.S. History and science; and the satisfactory completion of relevant coursework aligned to the standards measured by the high school English language arts, mathematics, and science Massachusetts Comprehensive Assessment System (MCAS) assessments administered in 2023 and the U.S. History standards in the Massachusetts Curriculum Frameworks.
Students who met the CD standard in English language arts, mathematics, and/or science prior to January 3, 2025, retain that benefit. Information on the CD requirements prior to January 3, 2025, are linked at the bottom of this page.
Students in the class of 2027 and beyond must earn full credit in accordance with the district's grading policy in the courses listed in the table below:
Students in the class of 2026 must earn full credit in accordance with the district's grading policy in the courses listed in the table below:
Local graduation requirements are at the sole discretion of the district and cover through grade 12. Local graduation requirements may go beyond the requirements of the Competency DeterminationCD policy to include requirements related to credit-earning, attendance, participation in extracurricular activities, community service, etc. Local graduation requirements are established by the district and may align with the Competency DeterminationCD policy but cannot take the place of the Competency DeterminationCD policy.
Under the federal Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA), even if a student with an Individualized Education Program (IEP) has met the requirements for graduation, a district may not properly graduate the student if the district did not provide a "free appropriate public education" (FAPE) to that student.
For additional information on graduation requirements for students with Individualized Education ProgramsIEPs, please see: Special Education Policy Memo SY2025-2026 — 2: Graduation and Transition Planning for Students with IEPs.
Students who do not meet the requirements to earn the Competency DeterminationCD may be eligible to receive a Certificate of Attainment if they have met all local graduation requirements.
Massachusetts state law requires the instruction of U.S. History and civics (G.L. c. 71, § 2 ) and physical education (G.L. c. 71, § 3 ).
In June 2026, Governor Healey released final recommendations for a statewide high school graduation framework. More information on the final recommendations including the final report can be found in the Governor's press release . The Department will continue to provide updates as this work progresses.
Previous Competency Determination Requirements for Students in the Classes of 2024-2026
Last Updated: August 27, 2026