TL;DR: The averages people search for, 90 to 94 for With Honors, 95 to 97 for With High Honors, 98 to 100 for With Highest Honors, come from DepEd Order No. 36, s. 2016, which DepEd Order No. 015, s. 2026 repealed. From school year 2026-2027 there is one Academic Excellence Award in public schools: a general average of at least 90, with no final grade below 80 in any learning area, and no derogatory records or disciplinary cases that year. Awardees are listed alphabetically, not ranked.
This is the single most out-of-date topic in Philippine education content right now. The three-tier honours table is on thousands of pages, on certificate templates, in school memos and in a great deal of confidently worded social media. It described a real policy. That policy is repealed.
What Changed, and When
DepEd Order No. 015, s. 2026, Revised Guidelines on Classroom Assessment, Grading System, and Awards and Recognition for the K to 12 Basic Education Program, was signed on 4 June 2026. Paragraph 6 states that it repeals both DepEd Order No. 8, s. 2015 and DepEd Order No. 36, s. 2016, the awards and recognition policy that created the three honours bands.
The guidelines are implemented from school year 2026-2027 in all public elementary and secondary schools nationwide.
For the record, here is what DO 36, s. 2016 required, so you can recognise it when you see it quoted as current:
| Repealed award (DO 36, s. 2016) | General Average |
|---|---|
| With Highest Honors / May Pinakamataas na Karangalan | 98–100 |
| With High Honors / May Mataas na Karangalan | 95–97 |
| With Honors / May Karangalan | 90–94 |
Those bands are not in DepEd Order No. 015, s. 2026. Neither the list of grade-level awards in the body of the order nor Annex H, which carries the detailed awards guidelines, contains any of the three titles.
What the Current Order Requires
There is one award at the general-average level, and it has three conditions rather than one.
Academic Excellence Award. Granted to learners in Grade 4 to 12 who attain a general average of at least 90, with no final grade lower than 80 in any learning area. Awardees shall be listed alphabetically to promote fairness and minimise undue competition. Eligible learners must have no derogatory records or recorded disciplinary cases within the school year.
Break that into the three tests, because most of the confusion is about the two that are not the average:
1. The average: at least 90. The general average is computed by averaging the final grades in all learning areas taken during the school year, expressed as a whole number. For Grades 11 and 12 the order says it is computed using the equivalent units of each subject. Our guide to computing DepEd grades walks through how a final grade is produced in the first place.
2. The floor: no final grade below 80. This is the condition that catches people. Averages hide their own composition. A learner with 95s in most subjects and a 77 in one has a strong average and no award. The rule exists precisely to stop a very high grade in one area from carrying a weak one.
3. Conduct: no derogatory records or disciplinary cases within the school year. Not a tiebreaker. A disqualifier.
Alphabetical listing is part of the policy, not a school's stylistic choice. The order attaches a stated purpose to it: to promote fairness and minimise undue competition.
What Happened to the Rest of the Recognition System
The tiers were removed, not the recognition. The current order confers a set of grade-level awards alongside the Academic Excellence Award:
| Award | Who qualifies |
|---|---|
| Leadership Excellence Award | Learner leaders or officers in Grades 4 to 12 with no failing grades and no derogatory records, who are class officers or active members or officers of a recognised club, team or organisation, and who score at least 90 percent on the school's approved leadership rubric |
| Excellence in a Specific Learning Area | The learner with the highest final grade in the batch in that learning area, provided the grade is not lower than 90. Ties are all recognised |
| Excellence in Work Immersion, Field Exposure and Arts Apprenticeship | Graduating senior high learners with the highest grade in each area, endorsed by the industry partner or workplace supervisor, with a rating of at least 90 in that area |
| Excellence in Research | Grade 12 learners who took Research 1 and 2, individually or in groups of up to four |
| Excellence in Design and Innovation | Grade 12 learners who took Design and Innovation 1 and 2, individually or in groups of up to four |
| Special Recognition Awards | Learners who bring distinction to the school in competitions, contests or exhibitions at division, regional, national or international level |
Read that middle row again if your child is strong in one subject. "Excellence in a Specific Learning Area" goes to the highest final grade in the batch, not to everyone above a threshold. It is the most competitive award in the current system, and it is the one that still ranks.
Kindergarten to Grade 3: No Academic Awards At All
Key Stage 1 is out of the academic awards system entirely, in line with the shift to descriptive grading. The order says no academic awards shall be conferred in Key Stage 1, and that learner progress is communicated through descriptive assessment and narrative feedback, "avoiding early competition and labeling."
What remains at that level:
- Character Traits Awards, granted at the end of each academic term based on the descriptive grading, recognising demonstrated values, positive learning behaviours, participation and growth. Teachers may contextualise the titles or descriptors to suit their learners and community, but recognition is limited to five core awards.
- A Certificate of Merit at the end of the school year, reflecting the GMRC competency each learner most improved in or excelled at, worded so the learner can understand it.
- A Perfect Attendance Award for learners with no absences for the entire term, as reflected in School Form 2, the daily attendance report.
Grades 2 and 3 are the exception during the transition. While they are still on numerical grading, schools may give them Academic Excellence Awards and other applicable grade-level awards under the same rules.
If You Need the Rank for a College Application
This is the practical worry behind most searches on this topic, and the order has a specific provision for it.
"Schools may issue a certification of actual academic rank upon formal written request to support college applications or other academic requirements."
So the rank still exists in the school's records; it is simply not conferred as a title or announced at the ceremony. If a scholarship or university application asks for class rank, the route is a written request to the school, not an argument about what the report card should have said. Our companion piece on how DepEd ranks honours in K-12 covers the deliberation process and the appeal window.
Note also that basic education honours and college Latin honours are unrelated systems with different criteria, different computations and different governing rules. If you are looking ahead to cum laude and above, see our guide to Latin honours requirements.
Private Schools May Still Use the Old Bands
The order applies to public schools. Private schools, SUCs, LUCs and Philippine Schools Overseas offering basic education are encouraged to adopt the guidelines, and any adaptation must be consistent with the institution's own philosophy, vision and mission, subject to approval by the appropriate DepEd regional office.
In plain terms: a private school may keep With Honors, With High Honors and With Highest Honors, and would not be breaking any rule by doing so. If your child is in a private school, the school's own handbook is the governing document, and it is worth asking this school year specifically, because many schools are mid-decision.
A Short Checklist Before Recognition Day
- Get all the final grades, not the average. The floor-grade rule is decided by the lowest number, and an average will not show it to you.
- Ask what the school counts as a derogatory record. The order does not define the term, so it is applied through school policy. Ask before assuming a minor incident is or is not covered.
- Ask when the criteria were communicated. The order requires the school's Awards Committee to communicate processes, timelines and criteria to learners and parents during the opening period or not later than the end of Term 1.
- Do not rely on a certificate template. Plenty of school templates still carry the three honours titles. A template is not a policy.
- If you disagree with the outcome, note the window. A protest is filed by the learner, with a parent or guardian, to the school head within five working days of the announcement of awardees.
Sources
- DepEd Order No. 015, s. 2026 — Revised Guidelines on Classroom Assessment, Grading System, and Awards and Recognition for the K to 12 Basic Education Program (official issuance page)
- DepEd Order No. 015, s. 2026 — full text PDF, including Annex H on awards and recognition
- DepEd Order No. 36, s. 2016 — Policy Guidelines on Awards and Recognition for the K to 12 Basic Education Program, repealed by DO 015, s. 2026
- SchoolFinderPH — How DepEd Ranks Honors in K-12
- SchoolFinderPH — How to Compute Your Grades Under DepEd's System
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