Why There’s No ‘E’ on Report Cards

Early Modern Grading Didn’t Use Letters

In 1785, Yale University President Ezra Stiles introduced what is believed to be the first proper grading system in the American colonies. That four-point scale, written in Latin, comprised the following categories: optimi (best), secondi optimi (second best), inferiores boni (less good), and pejores (worse). 

By 1837, mathematics and philosophy professors at Harvard had adopted a 100-point grading system, though it looked different than the one we use today. The modern 100-point scale features corresponding letter values and typically looks like this: “A” is 90-100, “B” is 80-89, “C” is 70-79, and “D” is 60-69.

But Harvard used a strictly numerical scale without any corresponding letters, and the ranges were as follows: 100 (perfect), 75-99, 51-74, 26-50, and 25 or below. The average grades followed a bell curve, with most students hovering around 50. Scores on both extremes (above 75 and below 25) were rare. 

Numerical grades gained traction across the country, and by the early 20th century, it became the most common grading system.Teachers at schools of all levels began assigning and recording grades using this 100-point scale, and, for the first time, modern grades inched toward a universal system.

The Rise and Fall of “E”

Although numerical grading was the most popular method of assessing students from the mid-1800s through the early 1900s, another system emerged and evolved alongside it: letter grades. Teachers at Mount Holyoke College in Massachusetts began using letter grades as early as 1884. By the 1896-1897 school year, Mount Holyoke had become the first U.S. school to have documented use of a uniform letter grading system.

Letters were assigned to numerical ranges, but those ranges differed from Harvard’s. Instead, the system looked similar to what’s used in schools today: An “A” grade (excellent) was 95-100, “B” (good) was 85-94, “C” (fair) was 76-84, “D” (barely passed) was 75, and “E” was a failing grade, though it didn’t have a corresponding number. 

The following year, Mount Holyoke altered its grading system, adding an “F” for the first time. The numerical ranges were adjusted to include the new letter, and the grading scale spanned “A” through “F.” Interestingly, though, the college also retained the “E,” thus increasing its grading scale from five categories to six. But this move proved unpopular, and other schools began removing the “E” grade.

Experts have several theories about why “E” began to fade, including a push for a more efficient system. By the early 20th century, educators believed that fewer grading categories would help teachers streamline the process, simplifying the system. 

Isidor Edward Finkelstein, author of The Marking System in Theory and Practice (1913), was influential in this line of thought. Specifically, he and his colleagues believed that five divisions was the optimal number on a marking scale. That meant the modern grading system needed to drop one letter. As researchers Kimberly Tanner and Dr. Jeffrey Schinske wrote in their article “Teaching More by Grading Less (or Differently),” the “E” grade was an easy target because “F” so clearly stood for “fail.”

The article cites another issue with “E”: Some students assumed it stood for “excellent” despite it marking unsatisfactory grades, making it the most misunderstood letter out of the bunch. It was a perfect storm — “F” was a clearer stand-in for “fail” while “E” confused and crowded the grading scale. By the 1930s, “E” grades had disappeared from American schools. 

“E” Remains in Some Grading Scales

During the latter half of the 20th century, the letter grading system “A” to “F” (excluding “E”) became standard across the country. But that doesn’t mean there aren’t exceptions. In elementary schools, a different letter scale is often seen on report cards, especially for younger students in kindergarten through third grade. 

For instance, grades may include “D” (“developing”), “E” (“expanding”), “S” (“satisfactory”), and “N” (“needs improvement”). As these grading systems vary by school district, the “E” may also mean “excellent” or “exceeding expectations.” So no, “E” hasn’t been entirely banished from the modern education system, but it has undoubtedly lost its place in the standard lineup of U.S. letter grading, remaining a curious omission from student report cards across America.