What the percentage in PowerSchool means
The percentage in PowerSchool is your points earned divided by the points possible in that term, so 1250 out of 1600 shows as 78 percent. The letter beside it comes from a grade scale your school sets, which is why the same percentage can be a different letter at another school.
The number is simpler than it looks, and the letter next to it is the part that varies. Knowing which is which tells you whether you are chasing points or chasing a cutoff, and those are different problems.
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Where the number comes from
Points earned over points possible for the term you are viewing. Every scored assignment feeds both halves, which is also why a missing assignment hurts twice: it adds nothing on top and enlarges the bottom.
Why the letter is local
Your school sets the grade scale, so the cutoff between a B and a B minus is a decision made by your district rather than by PowerSchool. Two students with the same percentage at different schools can hold different letters.
The symbols beside a score
A mark next to an assignment usually means it was treated differently: excluded from the calculation, collected but not counted, or exempt. If your arithmetic does not match the displayed percentage, an excluded score is the first thing to look for.
Seeing what produced it
Tapping the percentage opens the assignments behind it. That view, rather than the headline number, is where a surprise is explained, and it is worth opening before assuming a grade is wrong.
Questions
How is my PowerSchool grade calculated?
Points earned divided by points possible for the term, then mapped to a letter using the grade scale your school configured. Where a course weights categories, the average is figured per category first and combined by weight.
Why is my percentage a different letter than my friend at another school?
Because the grade scale is set by each school. PowerSchool applies whatever cutoffs your district entered, so the same percentage genuinely can be a different letter elsewhere.
What does a symbol next to my score mean?
It normally marks an assignment that was handled differently, such as excluded from the grade or collected but not counted. That is the usual reason your own arithmetic does not match the displayed number.
Does PowerSchool show my GPA?
Sometimes. Many schools display it under Grades or Grade History, and some hide it until grades are final or publish it only on the transcript. If yours hides it, the grades themselves are still enough to estimate.
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