In one of the largest public school districts in The United States, Houston, more than 50% of students have failed one or more class since 2019 according to startribune.com. What this means is that since the pandemic, students have been struggling with their school work. With that being said, let’s talk about what happens if you fail a class in high school, as well as some ways to prevent it.
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Immediate Consequences
GPA Impact
Your GPA will be the first thing to tank when failing a class. Your GPA or grade point average, is an average representation of your academic standing in the school. In general, GPAs are on a scale of 1 – 4 with 4 being straight As. Your GPA is also the first thing colleges take into account when looking at your application. While a bad GPA is detrimental to your academic standing, it’s not too difficult to climb your way out of the pit before it gets too deep. Increasing your GPA can be done by:
- Completing make-up work
- Recovering your credit
- Going to summer school
- Improving your grade in the class
Credit Deficit
The other immediate consequence of failing a class is the growing credit deficit for your academic career. In high school, there’s a certain number of credits required in order to graduate. When failing a class, this changes your graduation plan and can affect when your graduation date is (if the credit is not recovered). In most cases, schools will send you to summer school or other types of supplemental classes to recover the lost credit. It’s important to meet with your school counselor if you failed or are on track to fail in a current class. They can work with you to develop a specific plan to graduate on time.
Long Term Consequences
College Admissions
If you haven’t recovered a failed credit, it can quickly become a long term issue for those looking to go to college. As mentioned previously, a failed class can drastically affect your GPA, which is one of the first factors colleges look at on your application. It’s imperative to recover your credit ASAP to show colleges that it’s a past mistake that has been fixed. If you’ve found yourself with a GPA deficit during the college application season, it’s important to address the issue head on in your essay. Own up to the mistake instead of trying to hide it and colleges will look more favorably upon you.
Scholarship/Financial Aid Troubles
Most scholarships and financial aid services have academic merit factoring into the application. They will consider a multitude of different factors but your GPA and current credit count will be a key holder in getting approved for any type of financial aid or a scholarship. Like I mentioned previously, it’s important to address these issues in your application. During the essay portion, talk about why you failed a class. Be honest with yourself and on the application. While it’s not a guarantee, it can go a long way in making you look better on the application.
Recovery and Prevention
Retake the Class
Many schools offer the option of retaking the class the following year. This is a great option for students and families that don’t have the flexibility over the summer to do summer school. Instead, when retaking a class, the student will take it at the start of the following school year. I recommend looking into this option if you’re only failing a single class. When trying to retake multiple classes, your schedule may not be able to accommodate such a heavy load.
Summer School
Summer school is a great opportunity for students who have failed one or more classes. This is the most popular choice for many students as it can be done over the summer with little conflict. Summer schools have different hours as well, but you can generally expect 3 weeks of school to equate to a semester worth of credit. At our in-person private school: The Tenney School, our summer program offerings run in 3 week intervals with a full class credit recovery taking 6 weeks.
Online Courses
While a less popular option, online courses could be the perfect middle ground for families. Through Tenney School Live students can enroll in single classes that are taught entirely remotely. This allows the student to have a more flexible schedule while recovering credits. It’s worth noting that you should enroll in an online course when you feel like you can handle the workload. If you’re already struggling to keep up in your other classes, it may be worth waiting until summer to do summer school instead. That way you can put all of your focus into the course that is being recovered.
Tutoring
When it comes to prevention, tutoring is the best route! While tutoring can help you recover your grades prior to failing, it’s better to schedule standing tutoring appointments. Start the year with a scheduled tutor. The tutor can help you identify areas of weakness in your studies prior to them becoming an issue. You’re in luck! We’re offering the first session free with our online tutors. So what are you waiting for? Schedule your first session below: