Average Grade Calculator — Find Your Average Score
Enter your grades below to instantly calculate your simple average. Works with percentages, points, or any numerical score.
Last updated: May 2026
Excludes your single lowest score from the average — mirrors the drop-one-quiz policy used by many professors.
Results
Simple Average
80.00%
Grades Counted
4
Highest Score
91.0%
Lowest Score
67.0%
Grade Thresholds
What Is an Average Grade?
An average grade — also called a mean grade or grade average — is the sum of all scores divided by the number of scores. It is the most common way to express overall performance across a set of equally weighted assessments. If a student scores 80, 90, and 70 on three quizzes, the average grade is (80 + 90 + 70) ÷ 3 = 80%.
A simple average is appropriate when every score counts equally — that is, every quiz, test, or assignment contributes the same amount to the total. A weighted average, by contrast, assigns different levels of importance to different assignment categories: for example, a final exam worth 40% of the course grade counts far more than daily homework worth 10%. Students should use this calculator when all their scores count equally, and use the Weighted Grade Calculator when different categories carry different percentage weights.
Average grades are used across many academic contexts: tracking a quiz average throughout a semester, determining eligibility for retakes or extra credit opportunities, self-monitoring performance between official grade releases, and providing a quick snapshot of academic standing without the complexity of a full GPA calculation. Whether you are a student checking your standing or a professor explaining results to a class, the simple average is the most transparent and universally understood grade metric.
How to Calculate Your Average Grade
- 1
Collect all the scores you want to average. These can be quiz scores, test results, homework percentages, or any consistent set of numerical grades. Make sure they are all on the same scale — if some are out of 50 points and others out of 100, convert them all to percentages first by dividing each score by its maximum possible score and multiplying by 100.
- 2
Add all the scores together to get a total sum. For example, if your scores are 88, 74, 91, and 67, the sum is 88 + 74 + 91 + 67 = 320.
- 3
Count the number of scores in your set. In the example above, there are four scores.
- 4
Divide the total sum by the number of scores. The result is your average grade as a percentage. Using the example: 320 ÷ 4 = 80%. Use the grading scale table in the next section to convert that percentage to a letter grade.
Average Grade Formula
Average Grade = Sum of All Scores ÷ Number of Scores
Average Grade Calculator — Worked Examples
Example 1 — Averaging Quiz Scores
A student received quiz scores of 78, 85, 90, 72, and 88 out of 100 across five quizzes. The calculation is: (78 + 85 + 90 + 72 + 88) ÷ 5 = 413 ÷ 5 = 82.6%, which is a letter grade of B.
When the Drop Lowest Score option is enabled, the lowest score of 72 is excluded from the calculation: (78 + 85 + 90 + 88) ÷ 4 = 341 ÷ 4 = 85.25%, which is still a B but a notably stronger one.
Example 2 — Averaging Test Scores Across a Semester
A student has four test scores: Midterm 1 at 74%, Midterm 2 at 81%, a Research Test at 69%, and a Unit Test at 88%. The simple average is: (74 + 81 + 69 + 88) ÷ 4 = 312 ÷ 4 = 78%, which is a letter grade of C+. Note that this average does not account for whether the final exam counts for more than the midterms — for that scenario, the student should use the Weighted Grade Calculator.
Example 3 — Converting Points to Percentages Before Averaging
A student has three assignment scores recorded as points: 42 out of 50, 35 out of 40, and 88 out of 100. Before averaging, each must be converted to a percentage: 42/50 = 84%, 35/40 = 87.5%, 88/100 = 88%. The average is then: (84 + 87.5 + 88) ÷ 3 = 259.5 ÷ 3 = 86.5%, which is a letter grade of B. The conversion step is critical — entering raw points from assignments with different maximum values will produce a meaningless result.
Grade Scale — Percentage to Letter Grade Conversion
| Percentage Range | Letter Grade |
|---|---|
| 97–100 | A+ |
| 93–96 | A |
| 90–92 | A– |
| 87–89 | B+ |
| 83–86 | B |
| 80–82 | B– |
| 77–79 | C+ |
| 73–76 | C |
| 70–72 | C– |
| 67–69 | D+ |
| 63–66 | D |
| 60–62 | D– |
| Below 60 | F |
Grading scales vary between institutions and professors — always verify the thresholds used in your specific course syllabus before interpreting your result.
If you need to convert your average percentage into a GPA score, use the SmartCGPA GPA Calculator.
Average Grade Calculator vs Other Grade Calculators — Which Should You Use?
| Calculator | Best Used When | Link |
|---|---|---|
| Average Grade Calculator (this page) | All your scores count equally and you want a simple mean | Use this tool |
| Weighted Grade Calculator | Different assignment categories carry different percentage weights (e.g. tests 40%, homework 20%) | Weighted Grade Calculator |
| Grade Calculator | You want to track grades across multiple assignment types with customisable categories | Grade Calculator |
| Final Grade Calculator | You want to know what score you need on an upcoming exam to reach a target course grade | Final Grade Calculator |
| GPA Calculator | You want to convert course grades into a GPA on the 4.0 scale | GPA Calculator |
Most students will use the average grade calculator for quick quiz or test average tracking and switch to the weighted grade calculator once they need to account for how much each category contributes to the final course grade.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the difference between a simple average grade and a weighted grade?
A simple average treats all scores equally — each score contributes the same amount to the total. A weighted grade assigns different levels of importance to different categories: if a teacher says that tests count for 40% of the final grade and homework counts for 20%, that is a weighted system. For weighted grading, use the SmartCGPA Weighted Grade Calculator.
Can I use this calculator with letter grades instead of percentages?
The calculator accepts numerical scores only. Students with letter grades should first convert them to percentages using the standard scale (A = 95, A– = 92, B+ = 88, B = 85, B– = 82, C+ = 78, C = 75, C– = 72, D = 65, F = 50) and then enter the equivalent percentages. For related conversions, see the SmartCGPA Letter Grade to GPA converter.
How does the drop lowest grade feature work?
When the toggle is enabled, the calculator identifies the single lowest score in the current input list and removes it from both the sum and the count before computing the average. The score is not permanently deleted — it remains visible in the list so you can see which grade was excluded. A note below the toggle confirms which score was dropped and what the resulting average is. This mirrors the drop-one-quiz policy used by many professors to give students a chance to recover from one poor performance.
How many grades can I enter?
There is no hard limit — students can add as many grade rows as needed using the Add Grade button. The calculator handles any number of scores efficiently. However, all scores must be numerical percentages on the same 0–100 scale for the average to be meaningful. Mixing raw points from assignments with different maximum values will produce an incorrect result.
Is my data saved or stored anywhere?
The calculator runs entirely in the browser using React state. No data entered is sent to any server, stored in a database, or tracked beyond the current browser session. Refreshing the page resets all inputs to the default example values. Your grades remain completely private.