High school student demands math teacher raise C grade to A for scholarship, gets annoyed when he refuses: 'He has been terribly lazy'

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Ally Perry • Writer and Editor
May 23, 2026 7:45 PM EDT

Is it the duty of a teacher to always bump up the grades of a student in need?

Anybody who has ever been through the college application process knows that it can be brutal. The wrong kind of extracurriculars or just 0.1 less GPA can be the thing that keeps a student out of going to their dream school forever. And that is without even getting into the headache that is the financial side of things.

As employees of a place that supposedly prepares teens for their next stage of life, we might think that teachers always have a vested interest in helping out their students. However, a lot of the time, that is highly dependent on how the students work. Most educators are not going to give out good grades for nothing.

Still, that is not going to stop some students from trying their luck when it comes to making the most out of the least with their high school education. If college looms, then every single minor improvement could help towards what they are aiming for. Being the person who prevents them from reaching that goal can feel like a heavy burden to carry.

 

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  • A teacher crosses his arms while standing in front of a chalkboard with equations on it
    via Vitaly Gariev

    A teacher crosses his arms while standing in front of a chalkboard with equations on it

    The image does not depict the actual subjects of the story. Subjects are models.

  • A math teacher was left wondering if he did the right thing when one of the students in his advanced math class emailed him with a bold request. They needed to up their GPA by 0.3 points to get a scholarship for college, and they wanted to do that by having the teacher raise their grade from a C to an A.

    He decided against this, as he didn't feel like the student had done enough extra work to warrant it. Also, they were much closer to an A grade in their history class. This stopped them from getting the scholarship.

  • I stopped a kid from getting a scholarship

    So, I teach Seniors and juniors, in mixed Advanced Math classes. I try to structure my classes to be extremely similar to college classes to give them a preview of College Algebra.
    via DRthrowawayMD6
  • This year we swapped over to semester block schedule, from a 7 period day. A week after seniors leave, while I'm still with my juniors, a student emails me (paraphrased):
    via DRthrowawayMD6
  • "I need to get a 2.5 GPA to get this scholarship from a 2.47, and your class could get me there if you bring it up to an A. Can I do any old assignments to bring my grade up?"
    via DRthrowawayMD6
  • Now readers, this student has a 74C. He also has an 89 in history this semester, and CTC the other 2 periods.
    via DRthrowawayMD6
  • Close-up of a student writing in a notebook while sitting at a desk
    via Yunus Tuğ (Unsplash+)

    Close-up of a student writing in a notebook while sitting at a desk

    The image does not depict the actual subjects of the story. Subjects are models.

  • I highly doubt anyone would have questioned me changing his grade, but he could have also asked his history teacher.
    via DRthrowawayMD6
  • Am I am a hle for not bumping up his grade? My justification is that his GPA is the culmination of all grades in HS and if he had done better in any of them, he would have been fine. He has also been terribly lazy this semester,
    via DRthrowawayMD6
  • not doing his final study guide nor multiple assignments, was on his phone many classes, etc. I think he even may have used Al or copied work from friends for some assignments, but don't have proof and I'm not trying to catch them cheating on the occasional homework.
    via DRthrowawayMD6
  • Like, I'm lenient and might have done so if he had also sent me work along with the message to prove he had already done something, but this goes entirely against my morals - he has done basically the bare minimum all semester and definitely doesn't justify the A, nor has he been decent enough for me to want to.
    via DRthrowawayMD6
  • Should I petition the counselor to change it before graduation?
    via DRthrowawayMD6
  • A math teacher writes equations on a chalkboard
    via Vitaly Gariev

    A math teacher writes equations on a chalkboard

    The image does not depict the actual subjects of the story. Subjects are models.

  • HammsFakeDog I was skimming and misread at first, thinking the student wanted the 74 to turn into a 75. Sure, I would do that to help someone save thousands of dollars in college.
    via HammsFakeDog
  • But 74 to an A? That's absurd, especially for someone who did poorly due to laziness. How in the world could you begin to justify that to the other students who actually put in the work to make legitimate As?
    via HammsFakeDog
  • captured3 This isn't even a question. Tale as old as time. NTA he earned that grade. You didn't give it to him. You didn't stop anything.
    via captured3
  • You don't feel guilty about what others earned. Especially if he was lazy and on his phone in class lol
    via captured3
  • mathteacher123 Imfao bump a 74 up to an A? For a student that clearly wasn't trying his best at any point in the year? You'd be the ah le if you do change the grade.
    via _mathteacher123_
  • DrakeSavory Teachers done give grades; students earn them. You documented the grade he earned.
    via DrakeSavory
  • Maximum Coconut8396 Taxpayers should be glad you didn't waste their money on this scholarship. Save the funds for those that earn it.
    via Maximum_Coconut8396

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teacher high school math college entitled people scholarship
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