The two numbers Canvas shows — and why they disagree
Canvas computes your grade two ways. The current grade (its default) uses only assignments that have actually been graded; anything ungraded simply isn't in the denominator yet. The total grade treats every ungraded and missing item as a zero. With the defaults above — homework 94, quizzes 81, midterm 76, and 45% of the course (project + final) still ungraded — the current grade reads82.3% while the everything-as-zero reading is just 45.3%. Neither is "wrong": one is your average so far, the other is your floor, and your real final grade lands between them. Most "my Canvas grade is wrong" moments are one of these numbers being mistaken for the other.
Assignment groups and weights, the Canvas way
When your instructor uses weighted assignment groups, each group's percentage is points earned over points possible within that group, and group percentages combine by the syllabus weights — exactly what the rows above model. Three consequences worth knowing: a 5-point homework can outweigh a 50-point project if their groups say so; an empty group (nothing graded) is excluded from the current grade entirely, weights renormalized over the graded rest; and if no weights are set, Canvas falls back to simple total-points math, which our plain grade calculator covers. Instructors can also drop lowest scores per group — a rule this page doesn't model, so treat its numbers as the no-drops baseline.
Canvas's What-If scores, without clicking forty times
Canvas lets you type hypothetical scores into your own gradebook ("What-If" scores) to see the effect — useful, but one assignment at a time. The equivalent here: set a blank group's score to any hypothetical value and both readings update instantly; the gap between the two results is the leverage your remaining work still holds. When the question sharpens to "what exactly do I need on the final?", thefinal grade calculator solves it directly — feed it the current grade from this page and the final's weight, and lock the target.
When the numbers still won't match
If this page and Canvas disagree after you've mirrored the groups, the usual suspects are: drop-lowest rules on a group, extra-credit assignments (points without possible-points), assignments marked "do not count toward final grade", or a syllabus weight scheme the instructor changed mid-term. The gradebook's group percentages — visible when you expand each group in Canvas — are the ground truth to copy into the rows above. This page models Canvas's arithmetic only; it never connects to your Canvas account.
Frequently asked questions
Why does my Canvas grade look wrong?
Almost always because of ungraded assignments. By default Canvas shows your 'current grade' — computed only from work that's been graded — so a big ungraded project silently doesn't count yet. Flip on 'Calculate based only on graded assignments' (off) or check the 'total' column and the number can swing dramatically. This calculator shows both readings side by side.
How does Canvas calculate grades?
With assignment groups and weights: each group (Homework 20%, Exams 40%, and so on) averages the points earned over points possible for its graded assignments, then the group averages combine by weight. If your instructor didn't set weights, Canvas just divides total points earned by total points possible across everything graded.
What does 'treat ungraded as 0' mean in Canvas?
It's the pessimistic reading: every submitted-but-ungraded and missing assignment counts as a zero, showing the grade you'd have if nothing else got marked. Your real final grade will land between the two numbers — exactly at the optimistic one if you earn full marks on nothing more, and lower for every point dropped on the remaining work.
Why did my Canvas grade drop when the teacher graded something?
Before grading, that assignment was excluded from your current grade; once graded, its weight kicks in. If you scored below your running average, the average falls — sometimes sharply when the newly graded item carries a big weight. It feels like a glitch; it's the ungraded-exclusion rule doing exactly what it says.