A local diploma is a certificate that indicates an individual has completed a specific course or program at a particular educational institution. Full definition
But public school students will have to wait until at least fall to find out if they will have to earn the more prestigious and rigorous regents» diploma or whether local diplomas will be acceptable beyond the next four years. (edweek.org)
The Board of Regents today adopted regulations to expand the criteria under which students with disabilities may be eligible to graduate high school with a local diploma. (nystateofpolitics.com)
This is akin to the practice for many decades (until 2012) in New York State, where a Regents Diploma denoted a markedly higher level of academic attainment than a local diploma, and it's somewhat similar to the practice in today's England, where you can complete your schooling with a General Certificate of Secondary Education (GCSE), but if you're bent on university, you stick around to earn a more - demanding A-level certificate. (educationnext.org)