The letter grades that students earn are converted to a grade point and an additional weighted factor is assigned to each course. Class rank for each class is determined by way of a weighted grading system. Courses at Sullivan High School are assigned a weight for the purpose of computing class rank. Each course at Sullivan High School is given a weight based upon the difficulty of the course.
Class rank is based on the weighted grade average for each student.
The weighted grade average is determined by dividing the weighted grade points earned by the number of courses taken. This weighted grade average is designed to more accurately reflect the efforts necessary on the part of the students to achieve a higher class rank. Using a weighted grade average does have some disadvantages for students taking extra courses. Unless these courses are weighted high they can dilute the average. This sometimes has a negative effect on trying to get the students to take some vocational courses or fine arts courses that may not be weighted as high as the ''core curriculum'' courses such as English, math, science, social studies and foreign languages.