Country Day employs the system of Carnegie units and fractions of units. Under this system a year-long course earns one (1) unit of credit, and a semester course earns 1/2 unit of credit. An Independent Study course is usually worth 1/2 credit.
Graduation Requirements
All students must earn a minimum of 24 units, of which at least 19½ units must be academic. These credits must be distributed in the following manner:
| English | 4 | units minimum. Four specific English classes, one each year, are required. |
| Foreign Language | 3 | units minimum, in the same language while in Upper School. Students are expected to complete at least one course at Level IV. |
| Mathematics | 4 | units minimum while in Upper School. |
| Science | 4 | units minimum, including Biology, Chemistry, Physics,and Environmental Science. |
| History/Social Studies | 4 | units minimum, including World History, Western Civilization (1/2 unit), American History, and American Government. |
| Fine Arts | 1 1/2 | units (3 semesters) of art, music, or drama. |
| Physical Education | 2 | units (1 unit each for 9th and 10th grades.) |
| Other | 1 | Unit of Global Humanities taken in the 12th grade. |
| Academic Electives | 1 1/2 | units minimum. These are courses taken beyond the core academic requirements. |
| Computer Science | 1/2 | unit minimum, fulfilled through the completion of the digital portfolio. |
| Community Service | 50 | hours required for graduation; at least 10 hours per year. |
