In education, a grade or mark was a standardized evaluation of a student's understanding of a topic, subject, or discipline as judged by a teacher or professor. Letter grades ("A"–"F") were given in both grade school and at Starfleet Academy. (TNG: "Evolution"; VOY: "Parturition") To "ace" meant to get an "A" or a perfect score. (DS9: "The Alternate", "Facets"; VOY: "Imperfection")
During a conversation between Captains Jean-Luc Picard and Phillipa Louvois, in 2365, where Louvois muddled through an attempt to acknowledge Picard for approaching her for help in protecting Data, saying "I'm glad you felt you could...well, come to me." Picard chided her stating, "the word "trust" just isn't in your vocabulary, is it? Good try. Top marks for effort." (TNG: "The Measure Of A Man")
After Reginald Barclay stammered through an explanation of the elements of the Pathfinder Project to Admiral Owen Paris, Paris told Barclay "I can't give you high marks for clarity, Lieutenant, but you've certainly got my attention." (VOY: "Pathfinder")
In 2376, Chakotay handed Kathryn Janeway Seven of Nine's ship-wide efficiency analysis, Janeway asked, "did we get a passing grade?", to which Chakotay replied, "barely." (VOY: "Good Shepherd")
An alternative to letter grades, especially for students of younger ages, was a gold star. When Seven of Nine introduced One to B'Elanna Torres, she described Torres as having "a volatile temperament." Unclear on the meaning, One accessed his memory and defined the term "volatile" as meaning "readily vaporizable at low temperature; easily aroused, tending to violent eruption." Upon completion of his definition, sarcastically remarked, "Very good. You get a gold star." (VOY: "Drone")
Grade school[]
While attending school aboard the USS Enterprise-D, Wesley Crusher bragged to Guinan that he always got A's on his science projects. Guinan added that Dr. Frankenstein did too. (TNG: "Evolution")
After Wesley Crusher was assigned to the USS Hathaway in 2365 as part of a wargame, he pretended to have forgotten about a "very critical experiment" he was working on for his final grade in plasma physics. (TNG: "Peak Performance")
In 2370, Benjamin Sisko claimed to the replicant of Miles O'Brien that he had talked to Keiko O'Brien about his son's slipping grades. O'Brien later offered to have Jake assist him with a sort of work-study experience, as "a chance to get your grades back up." Jake was eager to assist, provided that it was not a conflict of interest, and added, "my grades are great. I want to keep them that way." (DS9: "Whispers")
Later that year, Jake begged his father to have Nog join them on their trip to the Gamma Quadrant for a science project, claiming that, "if Nog doesn't get a good grade on this project he's going to drop out of school." (DS9: "The Jem'Hadar")
When Nog asked Benjamin Sisko to be his sponsor for recommendation into Starfleet Academy, in 2371, Sisko's initial response was, "your reputation on this station leaves a lot to be desired. Your school grades are mediocre at best, and you've had run-ins with Constable Odo." (DS9: "Heart of Stone")
Starfleet Academy[]
Christopher Pike received the letter grade of "F" in astrophysics while a cadet at Starfleet Academy. (DIS: "Brother")
Commander William T. Riker cited an example of how his former Starfleet Academy classmate Paul Rice was "a risk taker," stating that on his final test in Advanced Navigation he rejected the three options given on the test and offered his own. For his efforts, he "got the top grade," and now that test has four options. (TNG: "The Arsenal of Freedom")
When Doctor Katherine Pulaski asked Data if he was qualified to pilot a shuttlecraft, he told her, "certainly. I had training in auxiliary space vessels at Starfleet Academy. I received...", at which point she interrupted and said, "a more than passing grade, no doubt." (TNG: "Unnatural Selection")
Kathryn Janeway would have earned an "A" in her exogenetics course at the Academy had she not missed the question on the topic of nucleotide resonance frequency her senior year. (VOY: "The Fight")
Tom Paris took a Survival Strategies course at the Academy taught by his father. When Neelix learned of this, he told Tom that he hoped that Tom had a passing grade. Tom told him that he had gotten a "B−". Neelix said he thought that that was "not very encouraging. I guess he didn't play favorites, huh?" (VOY: "Parturition")
When Curzon Dax first met Jadzia, he described her as "the quietest, shyest most withdrawn young woman you've ever known. Brilliant... top grades... and not a clue to what life was about." (DS9: "Playing God")
In late 2370, Beverly Crusher learned from Rear Admiral Brand that her son's Starfleet Academy grades were dropping, and that he was becoming remote and defensive, adding that if he was not careful, he would "wash out." (TNG: "Journey's End")
Red Squad, which was newly established group of elite cadets, was described by Nog to Benjamin Sisko as a way of rewarding excellence among the cadets. In 2372, Nog wished to join Red Squad, explaining to Sisko that "I have the grades to qualify but I need to be sponsored by a high-ranking officer." (DS9: "Homefront")
In an alternate 2404, Joe confronted Reginald Barclay on the whereabouts of Kathryn Janeway who had traveled back in time to speed up USS Voyager's trip home, Barclay tried to avoid the question by telling Joe that he had some "papers to grade." (VOY: "Endgame")