District: weighting system forced college recalculations of GPAs
Vaibhav Bhaskar graduated as valedictorian of Steinbrenner High School in Lutz with an 11.99 weighted GPA, breaking the previous Florida record of 11.84 set by Gaither High School graduate Dylan Mazard in 2022, according to the school district.
Bhaskar achieved the record through Hillsborough County’s policy of awarding bonus points beyond the standard 4.0 for Advanced Placement and dual enrollment courses. He took 20 AP classes and completed 24 dual enrollment college courses through the University of Florida’s online program, which also earned him an associate’s degree.
“Once I got that mindset that, ‘OK, I’m gonna be at the top,’ I just took advantage of every opportunity I could,” Bhaskar told the Tampa Bay Times. “I took all the hardest classes. I kind of exhausted all of my school’s curriculum, and saw what I could do beyond that.”
Bhaskar plans to attend Duke University in the fall.
The school board voted to change the policy and place a cap on weighted GPAs. In a statement, the district said college admissions officers were forced to “recalculate” the “unusually high” GPAs under the old system to bring them closer in line with the rest of the state.
“In addition, the current weighting often encourages students to enroll in excessive online courses to achieve an inflated GPA, resulting in stressful and unhealthy learning habits and mental health concerns,” the district said.
The new cap will take effect starting with the next graduating class, meaning Bhaskar’s record will stand as the highest possible under the previous system and will not be duplicated or beaten in the district.