Our unique Potential Achievement Rating (PAR) system challenges each student to see and attain measurable academic goals.  PAR is established by past academic performance and is updated every six weeks by academic staff.  The PAR is pre-agreed GPA (grade point average).  Howe students are expected to achieve these goals.  The PAR system has successfully worked for Howe students, since it was first adopted, in 1941.  Students achieving their PAR are academically eligible for rank promotions and authorized PAR privileges.  This system serves as an incentive for our students to work and stretch their potential reaching for excellence.

In most schools, students worry about making the grade.  At Howe, cadets focus on living up to their own individual potential. That’s our Potential Achievement Rating (PAR) system at work. Through PAR, cadets discover what they can do, and then reach for it.

Their achievement is facilitated by:

• Small classes
• Talented teachers
• A disciplined schedule
• A residential environment
• A culture of respect

The actual grades are A through F, with numerical equivalents similar to those used at major universities (A = 4.0; F = 0). Students receive conduct, effort, and interim grades half way through each six-week marking period.