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Can I Access School Grades Online?

Mary McMahon
Mary McMahon
Mary McMahon
Mary McMahon

Assuming that a student is enrolled at a school which offers online services to students, it is usually possible to access school grades online. College students typically need to enter their personal identifying information to see grades online once they are posted, and some high schools and other types of K-12 schools may offer online access to parents who would like to monitor school grades online. As a general rule, these services are free of charge, or the price is bundled into tuition fees.

Because grades are considered sensitive information, before grades can be released, the identity of the person requesting the grades needs to be verified. Many schools have online systems for managing classes, requesting financial aid, and performing other routine tasks. In these institutions, people can access school grades online once they enter the dashboard area where they manage other school-related tasks, and the dashboard is accessed with a username and password.

Some high schools post grades online, although others only allow students to see grades through their teachers or via their report cards.
Some high schools post grades online, although others only allow students to see grades through their teachers or via their report cards.

Schools which do not have extensive online services may still issue students and/or parents with usernames and passwords which admit them to systems which allow them to see grades, attendance information, and other basic data. These types of systems can be very useful for parents who may want to keep a close watch on the progress of their children, and for students who want to keep an eye on their grades. Some schools also allow people to phone in and enter a passcode to hear grades over the phone.

Some students might stress about grades if a teacher takes too long before posting them online.
Some students might stress about grades if a teacher takes too long before posting them online.

The advantage of viewing school grades online is that it is usually possible to do so as soon as grades are received and posted. By viewing grades immediately, people don't have to wait for weeks while report cards are generated and mailed, which can relieve stress and tension. There may also be other reasons for wanting to see grades online, like wanting to check midterm grades to monitor progress in a class, or needing to know grades for the purpose of reporting them to colleges as quickly as possible.

Children may worry that their peers can view their grades when they are posted online.
Children may worry that their peers can view their grades when they are posted online.

As a general rule, if it is possible to access grades online, the school will send out notifications so that people know how to do so, or directions for finding grades will be included in the brief orientations given to students who utilize online student systems to handle everything from housing to dropping classes. However, the school may not always provide this information, and it does not hurt to ask the registrar about options for viewing school grades online, just in case.

Mary McMahon
Mary McMahon

Ever since she began contributing to the site several years ago, Mary has embraced the exciting challenge of being a WiseGEEK researcher and writer. Mary has a liberal arts degree from Goddard College and spends her free time reading, cooking, and exploring the great outdoors.

Learn more...
Mary McMahon
Mary McMahon

Ever since she began contributing to the site several years ago, Mary has embraced the exciting challenge of being a WiseGEEK researcher and writer. Mary has a liberal arts degree from Goddard College and spends her free time reading, cooking, and exploring the great outdoors.

Learn more...

Discussion Comments

Logicfest

@Melonlity -- you can also find out if junior is skipping school. Playing hooky is almost impossible with online grades and attendance reporting and that is a very good thing.

Melonlity

A lot of schools offer online access to grades. Our school has a great way to put parents in touch. You get the Internet address and a password when you register your kids in school. That protects the privacy of the grades while allowing parents the opportunity to make sure junior is doing his homework.

And, yes, we've caught junior not doing his homework from time to time. It is much easier to jump on him then about than wait until he brings home a bad grade and it is too late to correct the problem.

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    • Some high schools post grades online, although others only allow students to see grades through their teachers or via their report cards.
      By: Andres Rodriguez
      Some high schools post grades online, although others only allow students to see grades through their teachers or via their report cards.
    • Some students might stress about grades if a teacher takes too long before posting them online.
      By: AVAVA
      Some students might stress about grades if a teacher takes too long before posting them online.
    • Children may worry that their peers can view their grades when they are posted online.
      By: emde71
      Children may worry that their peers can view their grades when they are posted online.