A Florida student graduated from high school with an 11.99 grade-point average, reportedly setting a state record and prompting Hillsborough County schools to change how they calculate weighted grades.

The Palm Beach Post reported that Vaibhav Bhaskar surpassed the state's previous record GPA of 11.84 and plans to attend Duke University to study finance and economics.

Bhaskar said he began pursuing the record in his sophomore year.

"I have a whiteboard in my room, and I listed five goals on it for my high school career," Bhaskar told the Post, noting that two of his goals were to "become valedictorian" and "break the state GPA record."

"Once I had those goals defined, and I had the mindset that I was going to accomplish those goals no matter what, from then on it just became about patience," he said.

Bhaskar completed 44 Advanced Placement and dual college enrollment courses, allowing him to accumulate enough weighted credit to reach the record GPA.

Hillsborough County Public Schools praised the achievement but concluded the grading system should not allow a student to compile such a lofty GPA.

Principal Tiffany Ewell compared the competition for weighted grades to an "arms race."

The new approach will use a standardized system rather than allowing weighted points to accumulate without a ceiling.

Bhaskar said he supports the change.

"I actually absolutely agree with the change because it's a way more standardized way to calculate GPAs," he said.

He said his 11.99 GPA would translate to about 4.93 on a standard 5.0 scale and noted that colleges recalculate applicants' GPAs regardless of the system used by their high schools.

"On my scale, it was favorable because it gives those crazy numbers, and 11.99 obviously sounds a lot better than 4.93," Bhaskar said.

Bhaskar said he has spent the weeks since graduation catching up on sleep after years of demanding coursework.

"It felt almost surreal that I didn't have anything left to do," he said.