Quarter Grade Calculator
Each quarter counts 25% in this quarter grade calculator: it averages your four quarter grades into a year grade and finds what you need in quarter 4.
Quarter 1 91%, quarter 2 87% and quarter 3 88%, goal 90% (A) → 92% in quarter 4
92%
needed in quarter 4 for 90% (89.5% rounds up to 90%), an A on the default scale. Your year grade will land between 66.5% and 91.5%.
Method: the quarters averaged by the weights you set by default, or the district preset you pick · Example: Montgomery County Public Schools (MD)Last verified Oct 19, 2026
Score needed in quarter 4 for each letter, on the default scale
| Letter | Year grade needed | You need |
|---|---|---|
| A | 89.5% (rounds up to 90%) | 92% |
| B | 79.5% (rounds up to 80%) | 52% |
| C | 69.5% (rounds up to 70%) | 12% |
| D | 59.5% (rounds up to 60%) | 0%: already reached |
Show the math
| Weights that count | quarter 1 25%, quarter 2 25%, quarter 3 25%, quarter 4 25% (total 100%) |
|---|---|
| Quarter 1 | 91 × 25% = 22.75 points |
| Quarter 2 | 87 × 25% = 21.75 points |
| Quarter 3 | 88 × 25% = 22 points |
| Points you have | 66.5 of 75 possible so far |
| Points you want | 89.5 × 100% = 89.5 points (89.5% counts as 90%) |
| Points still to earn | 89.5 − 66.5 = 23 points |
| Score needed in quarter 4 | 23 ÷ 25% = 92% |
Quarter grade at a glance
- Weight of each quarter in the year grade (equal weights)
- 25%
- How the result is worked out
- Average of the quarter percents: add them and divide by 4 (the example district's rule)
- Grades of .5 and up round up to the next whole percent (example district)
- Yes: 89.5% rounds up to 90%, an A (89.4% is a B)
- Lowest percent for an A (default scale)
- 89.5% (rounds up to 90%)
Good to know
- Some districts round each quarter to a whole percent before averaging, so 89.5% counts as 90 and 92.3% as 92. Check your school's rule, then pick the matching method in the form.
- A blank is not neutral in the example district: missing work goes in as a zero and is averaged into the quarter. Check that each quarter grade already includes those zeros before you plan what you need in quarter 4.
Common questions
How do you calculate a year grade from four quarters?
Add the four quarter grades and divide by 4, since each quarter counts 25%. Some districts round each quarter to a whole percent first; choose the district preset in the form to do the same.
What do I need in quarter 4 to get an A?
Multiply the year grade you want by 4 and subtract the three quarters you have. When .5 rounds up, an A (90) counts from 89.5, so quarters of 91, 87 and 88 need 89.5 × 4 − 266 = 92 in quarter 4. The district preset also rounds the answer up to a whole percent, because quarter 4 is rounded too.
Does 89.5 round up to an A?
It depends on your school. In the example district, yes: a grade halfway to the next whole number or higher rounds up, so 89.5% rounds up to 90%, an A. The calculator rounds .5 up unless you choose “Don't round”.
Is there a final exam in the year grade?
Not as a separate part in the example district: it counts district summative assessments inside the quarter grades (10% of the quarter 2 and quarter 4 grades in its 2025–26 FAQ, at most 20% of a semester). Its courses with a state end-of-course exam are different: each quarter counts 40% of the semester and the exam 20%. See the semester grade calculator for two quarters and a final exam.
Source for these answers: Montgomery County Public Schools (MD)
More details
| What | Value |
|---|---|
| The example district rounds each quarter to a whole percent before averaging (the preset) | Yes: quarters of 89.5% and 92.3% count as 90 and 92 |
| Lowest percent for a D (default scale) | 59.5% (rounds up to 60%) |
| Failing letter on the default scale | E |
| Missing work counts as a zero (example district) | Yes |
| Semester (two-quarter) course (example district) | Average of the two quarter grades |
| State end-of-course exam weight, in courses that have one (example district; each quarter then counts 40% of the semester) | 20% |
| Most a districtwide summative assessment can weigh in a semester (example district) | 20% |
| District summative assessments (some English and math courses; example district, 2025–26 FAQ) | 10% of the quarter 2 and quarter 4 grades, counted inside the quarter grade |
| A quarter with no grade (NG) in a full-year course (example district, 2025–26 FAQ) | Left out; the other quarters are averaged |
Common values
The score needed in quarter 4 for each goal, with the default weights (25% each) and .5 rounded up, so a goal of 90% counts from 89.5%. The last column is where your year grade lands with 0% to 100% in quarter 4.
| Quarters 1, 2 and 3 → goal | Needed in quarter 4 | Year grade range |
|---|---|---|
| 91, 87, 88 → 90% (A) | 92% | 66.5% to 91.5% |
| 85, 85, 85 → 90% (A) | Out of reach | 63.8% to 88.8% |
| 80, 80, 80 → 80% (B) | 78% | 60% to 85% |
| 95, 92, 90 → 90% (A) | 81% | 69.3% to 94.3% |
| 75, 78, 72 → 80% (B) | 93% | 56.3% to 81.3% |
| 70, 70, 70 → 70% (C) | 68% | 52.5% to 77.5% |
| 88, 90, 89 → 90% (A) | 91% | 66.8% to 91.8% |
| 65, 60, 62 → 60% (D) | 51% | 46.8% to 71.8% |
| 85, 79, 81 → 80% (B) | 73% | 61.3% to 86.3% |
How it works
When every quarter counts the same, the year grade is the plain average of the quarter grades. To find what you need in the last quarter, take the total you need across four quarters and subtract what you already have. Some districts round each quarter to a whole percent first; that rule is a preset in the form.
year grade = (Q1 + Q2 + Q3 + Q4) ÷ 4; Q4 needed = G × 4 − (Q1 + Q2 + Q3), where G is the goal when nothing is rounded, and when .5 rounds up the goal rounded up to a whole percent, minus 0.5 (a goal of 90 counts from 89.5)
- Add the quarter grades you have: 91 + 87 + 88 = 266.
- Multiply the year grade you want by 4. When .5 rounds up, a 90 counts from 89.5, so an A needs 89.5 × 4 = 358.
- Subtract what you have: 358 − 266 = 92, the quarter 4 grade you need.
- With the district preset, each quarter is rounded to a whole percent first, and the answer is rounded up to a whole percent because quarter 4 will be rounded too.
- Compare the year grade with the scale: on the default scale an A starts at 89.5, which rounds up to 90.
A full year: four quarters at 25% each
- Quarter 1: 91%
- Quarter 2: 87%
- Quarter 3: 88%
- Quarter 4: 92%
- (91 + 87 + 88 + 92) ÷ 4 = 89.5
Year grade 89.5%: an A when .5 rounds up, a B when it doesn't
Related: semester grade calculator (two quarters and a final exam)
What this doesn't account for
- Courses with a state end-of-course exam, which the example district weights 40/40/20 per semester
- Quarters with no grade (NG), which the example district leaves out of the average
- Other districts' quarter weights or exams (change the weights in the form)
- Grade changes made after a quarter closes
Compared with similar grade calculators
| Grade calculator | How the result is worked out |
|---|---|
| Quarter grade | Average of the quarter percents: add them and divide by 4 (the example district's rule) |
| Semester grade calculator | Each grade × its weight, added up (a weighted average of the percents); DePaul University's handout works an example |
| Grade percentage calculator | Points earned ÷ points possible × 100 |
| Weighted grade calculator | Category average × weight, added together; this calculator then divides by the weights graded so far (100 at most) |
| Grade curve calculator | One rule applied to every score, such as adding the same points or raising every score by a percentage |
Sources
Verified by
Checked by CountOnTools against its official sources on Oct 19, 2026. How we verify
Before and after this step
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