Graduating from high school early takes a lot of planning and hard work. In addition to taking heavier course loads, you may even have to enroll in summer courses. That said, for motivated students, graduating early can be a realistic goal. Depending on your plans, you may even be able to graduate high school a full year early! While graduating from high school early has plenty of advantages, it has disadvantages as well. This is why, in addition to explaining the steps you’ll need to take to graduate early, we’ll also make sure to explain the pros and cons of graduating high school early.
Graduating from high school early isn’t as hard as it seems. The key to being successful is to plan ahead and meet with your high school guidance counselor often in order to track your progress. Whether you’re interested in learning how to graduate high school a year early, or even just a semester early, check out the 5 steps below to help you get started:
01First, find out what your graduation requirements are. Schedule a meeting with your high school guidance counselor to discuss your options for planning an early graduation. If your high school has a website, you may be able to find your graduation requirements listed there as well.
Keep in mind that in addition to a total number of credits you’ll need to complete, you’ll also need to keep track of required classes. Graduation requirements vary from high school to high school, but in general, you can expect some variation on: 4 English credits, 3 Math credits, 3 Science credits, 4 History credits, 2 Foreign Language credits, 1 Physical Education credits, and several electives.
01First, find out what your graduation requirements are. Schedule a meeting with your high school guidance counselor to discuss your options for planning an early graduation. If your high school has a website, you may be able to find your graduation requirements listed there as well.
Keep in mind that in addition to a total number of credits you’ll need to complete, you’ll also need to keep track of required classes. Graduation requirements vary from high school to high school, but in general, you can expect some variation on: 4 English credits, 3 Math credits, 3 Science credits, 4 History credits, 2 Foreign Language credits, 1 Physical Education credits, and several electives.
02Now, how many credits have you already completed? Say you need 22 credits to graduate and you’ve already completed 14 credits. That means that you need 8 more credits to graduate. Keep in mind that while you may only need 8 more credits to graduate, this doesn’t necessarily take into account the specific classes you need to take in order to graduate.
02Now, how many credits have you already completed? Say you need 22 credits to graduate and you’ve already completed 14 credits. That means that you need 8 more credits to graduate. Keep in mind that while you may only need 8 more credits to graduate, this doesn’t necessarily take into account the specific classes you need to take in order to graduate.
03The next step is to make a list of all of the required classes you need to take to graduate but haven’t yet. High school graduation requirements vary from state to state, and even on a local level, but lots of high schools require students to take: 4 English credits, 3 Math credits, 3 Science credits, 4 History credits, 2 Foreign Language credits, 1 Physical Education credit, and several elective credits. But again, each school is different, so you’ll need to find your school’s specific list of graduation requirements in order to plan accordingly.
03The next step is to make a list of all of the required classes you need to take to graduate but haven’t yet. High school graduation requirements vary from state to state, and even on a local level, but lots of high schools require students to take: 4 English credits, 3 Math credits, 3 Science credits, 4 History credits, 2 Foreign Language credits, 1 Physical Education credit, and several elective credits. But again, each school is different, so you’ll need to find your school’s specific list of graduation requirements in order to plan accordingly.
04Now, what are your college plans? If you want to attend a 4-year college, graduating early may pose some extra challenges. This is because colleges’ admissions standards may go above and beyond your high school graduation requirements. For example, you may only need 3 Math credits to graduate high school, but your top college may require 4 Math credits. In order to plan accordingly, you’ll need to do some research and check the admission requirements for several colleges you’re interested in attending.
For more information about college admissions requirements, check out our article, What is Course Rigor? How This Can Help Your Admissions Narrative .
04Now, what are your college plans? If you want to attend a 4-year college, graduating early may pose some extra challenges. This is because colleges’ admissions standards may go above and beyond your high school graduation requirements. For example, you may only need 3 Math credits to graduate high school, but your top college may require 4 Math credits. In order to plan accordingly, you’ll need to do some research and check the admission requirements for several colleges you’re interested in attending.
For more information about college admissions requirements, check out our article, What is Course Rigor? How This Can Help Your Admissions Narrative .
05The sooner you can start meeting with your high school guidance counselor about graduating early, the better. While many students don’t start thinking about graduating early until their junior year, if you start thinking about it as soon as a freshman or sophomore, you’ll be in much better shape! Planning out your class schedule can be tricky to coordinate and you’ll need to have the support of your guidance counselor in order to be successful.
05The sooner you can start meeting with your high school guidance counselor about graduating early, the better. While many students don’t start thinking about graduating early until their junior year, if you start thinking about it as soon as a freshman or sophomore, you’ll be in much better shape! Planning out your class schedule can be tricky to coordinate and you’ll need to have the support of your guidance counselor in order to be successful.
Graduating from high school early takes a lot of careful planning. Here are some ways that might make the process easier, or at least more feasible:
Take online classes Take summer classes Take classes at a nearby community collegeIn general, it’s much easier to graduate from high school early if you’re homeschooled.
This is because homeschooled students have much more flexibility. If you’re interested in learning how to graduate high school early as a homeschooler, check out some of the tips below:
Take classes all year long Take extra classes each semester Enroll in an accelerated online program for high schoolers Take GED tests (Graduate Equivalency Degree) Take CLEP tests (College Level Examination Program)There are lots of pros and cons of graduating high school a year early, or even a semester early. For some students, graduating from high school early is a great way to jumpstart their career, but for other students, graduating from high school early may be short-sighted. Overall, there are a lot of nuances surrounding the pros and cons of graduating high school early. This is why students should have clearly defined reasons to graduate early from high school before they enter the planning stage.
For some students, graduating high school early can be liberating and present them with opportunities that otherwise would not be available to them — such as high school internships or gap year programs. But again, graduating early isn’t necessarily in the best interest for all students. To find out if graduating from high school early is the right path for you, consider some of the following pros of graduating high school early:
For some students, graduating high school early can be liberating and present them with opportunities that otherwise would not be available to them — such as high school internships or gap year programs. But again, graduating early isn’t necessarily in the best interest for all students. To find out if graduating from high school early is the right path for you, consider some of the following pros of graduating high school early:
Whether you are interested in pursuing an internship, starting a job, or taking a gap year, graduating early can give you greater flexibility. Keep in mind that graduating a semester early (as opposed to a full year) can be a great option for students who want to travel before college. While a semester may not feel like much time, students who graduate high school a semester early have 8 months (January-August) to travel before starting college in the fall.
For more information about gap years, check out our article, What is a Gap Year? Should You Consider Taking a Gap Year?
Graduating high school early can be a great option for students with clearly defined career goals, particularly if they have plans to attend technical school or community college. Graduating high school early isn’t necessarily advisable for students with dreams of attending top-tier 4-year universities. But if a student wants to attend a community college or technical school, graduating early can help them jumpstart their higher education!
Depending on their living situation and responsibilities, some students may want to graduate high school early so that they can start earning money. Whether the student has plans to pursue full-time employment or to work part-time while taking college classes, graduating high school early gives students more time to make money.
Some students simply don’t enjoy high school. The classes may not feel engaging or they may lack a sense of community. There are countless reasons why a student may not feel comfortable or content while attending high school. For some students, it may be worth sticking it out until graduation, but for other students, graduating early may be the best option.
There are plenty of reasons to graduate high school early, but that doesn’t mean that it’s necessarily the right choice to make. Yes, there are lots of benefits to graduating high school early, but there are lots of disadvantages as well. After all, graduating high school early takes careful planning and it can be stressful to coordinate. If you’re seriously considering an early graduation, take a moment to consider some of the cons of graduating high school early below:
There are plenty of reasons to graduate high school early, but that doesn’t mean that it’s necessarily the right choice to make. Yes, there are lots of benefits to graduating high school early, but there are lots of disadvantages as well. After all, graduating high school early takes careful planning and it can be stressful to coordinate. If you’re seriously considering an early graduation, take a moment to consider some of the cons of graduating high school early below:
Graduating early can be a great option for students planning on going to community college, but in general, 4-year colleges aren’t impressed by early graduations. This is because top schools want to see students who go above and beyond their graduation requirements by taking plenty of advanced courses, such as AP classes.
For example, a student may be able to graduate with only 3 math credits, but a highly-selective school wants to admit students with 4 years of math. Similarly, a student may be able to graduate with 3 foreign language credits, but competitive schools want to admit students who’ve taken 4 credits. Again, colleges want to be impressed by your level of course rigor. This is why you should refer to a List of AP Classes and Their Passing Rates when choosing your high school courses.
Students with plans to graduate early will have much busier class schedules. This can be really stressful, especially because students cannot risk performing badly in a required class. Depending on the student’s learning style and other responsibilities, graduating early may simply be too stressful. Other students, however, may be able to rise to the challenge. For tips on staying organized in high school, click here .
Graduating early may mean missing out on certain events, such as prom, senior week, and graduation. While some students think of these as once-in-a-lifetime opportunities, other students feel less attached to these events. Graduating early may also mean having to say goodbye to your friends before you feel ready.
Graduating high school early takes careful planning and hard work. But for many students, it is an achievable goal. If you’re thinking about an early graduation, meet with your high school guidance counselor to fully explore your options. Depending on your goals, you may want to consider other educational options, including dual enrollment.
In the meantime, if you have other questions about high school and/or college planning, consider checking out the following articles: What are the differences between IB, AICE, and AP classes? And College Planning Checklist For Juniors .
