Why students graduating from CCSD schools have their GPAs capped

The Clark County School District class of 2024-2025 will be receiving a graduation cap in May, but that’s not the only cap the class is receiving this year.

Grade point averages will also be capped for the class at a 4.95, maximizing the potential number of students in the running for valedictorian. The first class to be affected by this change was the class of 2024, who graduated earlier this year.

The GPA cap is a measure placed on a students grade point average to stop it from exceeding a certain numerical value. The district was originally concerned with over-competitiveness in schools and if students had the same equitable opportunities, as advanced courses can cost more time, money and resources.

The cap originally went to a trustee vote in July 2022, and after hearing public comment from two rising seniors, Trustee Lola Brooks made a motion to “meet them halfway” and push the cap back to the class of 2024. The vote passed 6-0.

Kristine Mae Bongolan, 17, is a rising senior at Bonanza High School and is her class’ valedictorian. Bongolan is not in favor of capping the GPA because despite taking advanced placement classes, her GPA won’t improve from its current 4.95.

If there was no cap, her GPA would be over 5.0, but it’s the fact that she’ll never be able to see it through, she said.

“The valedictorian spot, in my eyes, it’s supposed to be a special spot,” Bongolan said. “When you reinstate the GPA cap to give, maybe, (a) salutatorian a chance to have the same GPA as me, it doesn’t feel as if the valedictorian spot is special anymore.”

When she realized her class would be affected by the cap, she was angry and in disbelief, but she understood some of the reasons for the cap. Bongolan cited mental health as the primary reason for capping it.

“Students here, they love to push themselves,” she said. “Oftentimes, it gets to a point where they don’t care for themselves, and I know what that’s like because I’ve experienced it.”

UNLV expert Chris Kearney related the cap to academic competitiveness, which at times can cause students stress and sleep deprivation. But it’s not as simple as cap or no cap, he said.

“What are the ramifications of having a cap?,” he asked. “Are these kids automatically going to spend more time on extracurricular activities? I don’t know.”

The GPA cap was originally lifted in 2018, to go into effect for the class of 2021.

Contact Ella Thompson at ethompson@reviewjournal.com. Follow @elladeethompson on X.