Regents exams will no longer be required to graduate from 2028

What happened

The superintendent told the board on 22 September 2026 that New York's Board of Regents has officially decoupled Regents examinations from graduation requirements for students graduating in 2028. Regents exams will still be given, but students will no longer have to pass them to earn a diploma. The district says it is now working out how to help students who are in the transition years, and that the change pushes forward the state's Portrait of a Graduate work, for which it is still waiting on detail. Walton has been putting the groundwork in place: a careers and technical pathway in agriculture, an associate-degree pathway, SUNY Broome instant admission for every senior, and a plan to give credit for real work placements.

Why it matters to families

For today's younger students this changes what a diploma requires. Walton's Regents results have been a bright spot - 80% proficiency across the January 2026 session, 77% in Algebra 1 after years in the 40s and 50s, and seven of ten exams above the state average in 2025 - so the district is not losing a weak measure. What replaces it is not yet defined, which is why the board decided in March 2026 to leave its unusual semestered timetable alone until the new requirements are clear.

The evidence

The 22 September 2026 board meeting recording carries the superintendent's statement that the Regents have been decoupled from graduation requirements for the class of 2028, that the exams will still be given, and that the district is seeking guidance for students in the transition period.

The source