Senior Academic Awards

Senior Academic Awards include:

• Valedictorian- Student(s) with the highest seven semester Grade Point Average
• Salutatorian- Student(s) with the second highest seven semester Grade Point Average
• Top 15% recognized by Memorial High School
• Magna Cum Laude- top 5%
• Cum Laude- remainder of the top 15%
• Top 10% as recognized by the State of Texas
• Cannot include more than 10% of the senior class
• Determines priority admission to state colleges and universities
• State of Texas “Highest Ranking Senior”- Texas Education Code, Section 54.201. The one highest-ranking senior shall be determined in the following order until all ties are broken.
• The valedictorian as determined by a seven-semester class rank
• The student who has spent four years at MHS in grades 9 – 12
• The highest seven-semester numerical average (carried to 4 places after the decimal)
• The highest eight-semester numerical average (carried to 4 places after the decimal)
• If after the tie is broken, the highest ranking graduate does not enroll at a State of Texas university, the offer will go to the student with the next highest average, until a recipient has been chosen. If none of the students ranked #1 are attending a State of Texas university, the certificate will remain unused for that year.