To receive a diploma from The Williams School, a student must have earned a minimum of twenty credits in the Upper School courses listed below. These are minimum requirements; most students earn more than twenty credits. "

English - 4 credits (one course each year)
Mathematics - 4 credits (one credit each year)*
Foreign Language(s) - 4 credits (three consecutive years of one language—French, Spanish or Classical Languages—in the Upper School; Latin I for all students who enter Williams through the 10th grade year; French or Spanish I—either French 7, 8 or Spanish 7, 8 in the Middle School or French or Spanish I in the Upper School; the completion of Latin I should take place as early as possible in the student's career at Williams.)
Laboratory Science - 2 credits (two courses, including one biological and one physical science; all graduating seniors must have completed at least one year of science at The Williams School.)
History - 2 credits
Fine Arts - 1 credit (two 1/2 credit year courses may be needed)
Electives - 3 credits (taken in different disciplines)
Physical Education - 7 units (completed in the Upper School)

* Students who complete AP Calculus by the end of their junior year may be exempt from a mathematics course in their senior year.

The minimum load for any academic year is five credits; should a student be enrolled in courses totaling exactly five credits, he/she may take a maximum of two courses in the arts. All students, however, are expected to take as full a program as they can manage. A student is considered eligible for graduation when he or she has successfully fulfilled the Upper School minimum academic and athletic requirements, and has maintained a C-minus or better average during the senior year. A failing grade in a course in the second semester of the senior year will prevent a senior from graduating. The schedule of classes varies according to a seven-day rotation of the timetable. Unless otherwise indicated, classes meet for the full year and are worth one credit.