How this calculator works
A middle school GPA is normally unweighted because courses are not assigned credit hours and there are no honours or AP bonuses. Each letter grade becomes a number on the 4.0 scale, and the GPA is the mean of those numbers. The scale treats A+ and A as 4.0, A- as 3.7, B+ as 3.3, down to F at 0. A school that uses a different scale, such as 4.3 for an A+, will produce slightly different results.
Formula
GPA = sum(grade points) / number of courses. Grade points: A+ and A = 4.0, A- = 3.7, B+ = 3.3, B = 3.0, B- = 2.7, C+ = 2.3, C = 2.0, C- = 1.7, D+ = 1.3, D = 1.0, D- = 0.7, F = 0.0.
Worked example
Grades of A, B+, A-, B and C+ give 4.0, 3.3, 3.7, 3.0 and 2.3. The total is 16.3 over five courses, so the GPA is 3.26. Adding a C (2.0) as a sixth course would lower the average to 18.3 / 6 = 3.05, because every middle school course counts equally.
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Frequently asked questions
Does middle school GPA count for high school?
Usually not. Most high schools calculate their own GPA from grade 9 onward, and middle school grades may appear on the record without entering the high school GPA. A few districts count algebra or world language taken in grade 8, so check the local policy.
Why are there no credits?
Middle school courses generally meet for the same amount of time, so a credit value would not change the average. If one course is a full-year course and another is a quarter, a simple average may overstate or understate the overall result; use a weighted calculator in that case.
How do plus and minus grades work?
Each step is 0.3 or 0.4 on the 4.0 scale. A- is 3.7 and B+ is 3.3, so the difference is a full 0.4. The exact mapping varies by school, and some schools record only whole letters.
What about a pass or fail course?
Leave it out of the average. A pass or fail grade has no grade point, and counting it as an A or an F would distort the GPA. The credits, if any, still count toward progression.