The "American curriculum" used in international schools is loosely modelled on US public high schools, often aligned with state standards (California or Massachusetts being most common) or with the Common Core State Standards. Unlike the IB or British systems, there is no single national exam. Schools issue their own transcripts and the standardised assessments. Advanced Placement (AP), SAT and ACT. are taken voluntarily.
Students progress through Elementary (Grades K-5), Middle School (Grades 6-8) and High School (Grades 9-12). The high school transcript is the central credential: a 4-year record of subjects taken, grades earned (computed as a Grade Point Average on a 4.0 unweighted or 5.0 weighted scale), AP courses completed, and extracurriculars. The High School Diploma is awarded on completion of 24-26 credit hours and graduation requirements.
The defining feature is flexibility. Students typically take 6-7 subjects per year and can drop and add subjects each year. They might take 8 different subjects across high school, with 4-8 of them being AP-level. This breadth-with-choice model differs sharply from British A-Level specialisation or IB's mandatory 6-subject framework.
The system was designed for the US college admissions process, which holistically considers GPA, AP scores, SAT/ACT, extracurriculars, essays and recommendations. International applicants to UK, EU or Asian universities sometimes find the standalone HS Diploma insufficient. these universities expect AP scores as the equivalent of A-Levels, and at least 4-5 strong APs alongside high SAT/ACT scores.
