Step in the shoes of an average student at Langley High School, celebrating a 98 or 4.0 GPA in their Pre-Calculus/Trigonometry class – a remarkable feat. If the student lived in Loudon County, they wouldn’t be celebrating a 4.0 but rather a 4.3 or 4.5 GPA. It could be the exact same class with the exact same grades, but the grading scale makes all the difference.

“It gives the appearance of some schools being much better than others due to their unbalanced GPA scale but doesn’t necessarily reflect their [the students’] true skill,” junior Fuffi Naji said.

Competition to get into that childhood dream college is tough, and it only thickens when it comes to that famous acronym – GPA; grade point average. Colleges look for leadership, extracurriculars, community service, and good character. They also look for the brains however, and this single number could determine whether a college thinks a student has what it takes to excel.

Gaining over a 90% here at Langley in a non-honors class is a possible 3.7 to 4.0 GPA, but a number of counties would give over a 4.0 for the same grade.  Although Langley holds a high standard and offers possibilities to raise a GPA by taking an AP or honors class, not all students feel that they can do their best in this type of environment. “’I’d say don’t blame the system. Colleges know about these grading scale differences, so the effect on admissions chances will be minimal or nonexistent,” said senior Jiho Kim.

In order to compensate for the differing grading scales across counties, colleges have crafted a technique, allowing them to see students and their GPAs on an identical level.  “It’s important when we send [the grading scale] out to colleges so that it is equal,” said Ms. Stark, Administrative Assistant for Transcript in Student Service.  This allows other colleges to compare GPAs and calculate it so each student is given an equal chance to be accepted into the college.”

Grades don’t define the character or what’s inside a student, but it does play a defining role in college acceptance. Fairfax County’s grading scale differs from some nearby counties, but it does hold its students to the highest standard.