Hot take: School Graduation Requirements are too low

Zosia: Despite most employers requiring a high school diploma as a prerequisite for a job, the flimsy piece of paper has gradually dwindled in worth. Graduation requirements in the state of Wisconsin have been lowered and lowered to the point where they are effectively nonexistent. Most students in Wisconsin are merely mandated to take four years of English courses; three years social studies, math, and science courses in terms of core curriculum courses. These required classes, however, frequently rank low in terms of rigor. With less reading in class and simplified social studies curriculums, students taking base-level courses stay afloat in terms of grades, but flush out any material or concepts learned, ultimately making them less ready for college or future vocational training. 

Isaac: It is absolutely true that, as time goes on, a high school diploma means less and less in ensuring a stable job in the workforce. This means that high schools have to be not only learning institutions, but resources for skills that students need as they move into life. It is for this exact reason that graduation requirements cannot be raised. Low credit requirements for graduation seem to devalue a diploma, but they actually demystify it, making high school graduation, and the future it entails, more accessible for everyone. According to economists from Cornell and the University of Michigan, as graduation requirements increase, so too do dropout rates. This means that students who would otherwise get to walk the stage, are sent reeling into the aether to fend for themselves without the skills that high school imbues. And this disparity is magnified by the fact that, according to the American Psychological Association, poverty and dropout rates are linked, meaning that higher graduation requirements specifically target the impoverished. 

Zosia: Although this correlation is very real, high school graduation requirements should be raised simultaneously with funding for schools. According to the Stanford Center for Educational Policy Analysis, the monetary support given to schools is a significantly larger predictor of student achievement. Even just a 10% increase in spending per student can result in an increase in graduation rates by over 7%. Naturally, higher graduation requirements will result in a downward shift in graduation rates if student support isn’t increased at schools. However, student success rates in college and vocational schools will increase. Many students manage to make it through high school but quickly become overwhelmed with the rigor of a college education.

Isaac: This proves the counter point even more; considering funding is more of a predictor for student success than graduation requirements, it is unnecessary to raise them. Schools, especially in impoverished areas, should be given more funding rather than raising graduation requirements. Certainly, down the line, if dropout rates fall as funding increases, graduation requirements could be raised in order to promote further student class rigor and future success. 

by Zosia Bowlus-Jasinski and Isaac Considine-Buelow

Published May 26, 2026

Oshkosh West Index Volume 122 Issue VIII