Heritage Academy is excited to announce a new enhancement to our high school honors system: scholars will now have the opportunity to earn diploma seals, in addition to the existing department distinctions, to be affixed to their diploma upon graduation.

What Are Diploma Seals?

Diploma seals are official recognitions awarded by the State of Arizona to high school students who meet certain criteria in academic areas such as civics literacy, personal finance, world languages, biliteracy, and the arts. These seals are endorsed by the Arizona Department of Education (ADE) and are meant to highlight additional proficiencies beyond standard graduation requirements. Arizona Department of Education
Once earned, a seal is printed on the graduate’s diploma and also noted on their official transcript. Arizona Department of Education

Some of the seals currently approved include:

Why Heritage Academy Is Adopting Them

We believe that diploma seals support our commitment to excellence and give recognition where students go above and beyond. These seals:

  • Provide greater acknowledgment of student achievement beyond grades and departmental honors.

  • Encourage scholarship in areas like world languages, arts, civics, and financial literacy.

  • Help students stand out to colleges, employers, and in scholarship applications by showing specialized competencies.

How Students/Scholars Can Earn Them

Heritage Academy scholars interested in earning a diploma seal will need to satisfy both course/completion requirements and additional criteria set forth by the ADE. This may include:

  • Completing specified coursework in the seal’s subject area

  • Earning certain performance levels on examinations

  • Engaging in extracurricular or extra credit tasks relevant to the subject of the seal Arizona Department of Education

(Exact details for each seal will be provided by the Academy as soon as they are finalized, to help scholars plan accordingly.)

Relationship to Department Distinctions

Department distinctions (e.g. honors in mathematics, science, English, etc.) recognize scholars’ excellence within individual subject areas at Heritage Academy. Diploma seals operate in addition to these distinctions.

So, a scholar may graduate with:

  • One or more department distinctions from Heritage Academy, and

  • One or more state diploma seals, should they meet those standards.

This dual recognition allows us to affirm both the depth of skills in specific subject areas (via department distinctions) and broader competencies (via diploma seals).

What This Means Going Forward

  • Information & Guidance: Heritage Academy will be providing detailed guidance on each diploma seal — what is required, how to enroll, deadlines, etc.

  • Support for Scholarss: Teachers, counselors, and administrators will support scholars in planning their high school coursework to align with seal requirements.

  • Recognition Ceremonies: When scholars graduate, their diplomas will bear any earned seals, and transcripts will note them, giving visible recognition of their achievement.

Heritage Academy looks forward to seeing scholars rise to the challenge of these new seals. We believe this change aligns with our mission to foster deeply well-rounded scholars and prepares our graduates to stand out in college, career, and civic life.