For many Green Level students, senior year is approaching sooner than expected. This December or January, 17 seniors will finish high school months ahead of schedule. And another 10 juniors are finishing an entire year early in June. With new policies and opportunities to complete school in just three years, counselors, such as Mrs. Roberts, have seen students plan earlier and work harder. From college classes, full-time working, and even military service, these gators are headed in many unique directions.

There are two different terms for students who prematurely finish high school: Early graduates, who graduate a year early out of their junior year, and mid-year graduates who graduate in December or January of their senior year. This year, there are 17 total mid-year graduates, 6 of whom are leaving in December, and 10 early graduates. 

This number is typical for Green Level. The highest number of early graduates Green Level has seen was 25 in the year 2022-2023. Green Level expected a surge in early grads because it was announced by the state of North Carolina that these students could receive a scholarship for their final year of high school, that they could apply towards their college or university.

Essentially, each student is worth a specific dollar amount to the state. This amount represents what the school gets to be able to give you textbooks, resources, or access to a computer. 

Mrs. Roberts, Dean of Students, said, “Those students who graduate early would not count towards that annual payment, so a school would save money. Meaning when the kid is done, they are going to give it to the student in the form of a scholarship.”

As appealing as this seems, it was never fulfilled at Green Level because the budget still  hasn’t been passed, so there is no money allotted for those scholarships. Because of this, many students who were interested in early graduation for this reason backed out of it. 

What are the early graduating Gators doing next year?

There are various reasons why a student would make this decision; some are just done with high school and want to move onto college, some are hopping straight into college athletics, and others are diving into the world of full-time work. The majority of this year’s students are focusing on academics outside of high school.

“I feel like every class has had a ‘thing’ about them. Some are just like, ‘I’m done with high school, ’ which is a thing,” said Roberts. “So what they’re going to do is take Wake Tech CCP classes. They are eligible to take those for free for the semester they’re not in school and the summer after.”

This route has potential benefits because it puts you ahead of other students your age. Many are able to stack classes in their time outside of high school and are able to earn an associates degree or certificate, which may be the level of education needed for their desired profession. 

There are other unique paths students can take, like going into basic training or taking a gap year for internships or work opportunities. Some unique examples are a student who is taking an internship in Germany to work for Volkswagen, or an international student who is returning to their home country for a year so they can apply for free college tuition in their home country. 

“It’s kind of cool because kids sit down and talk to Mrs. Graham or me about what their plans are for the future,” said Roberts, “And it’s kind of fun to sit and have that conversation because they come up with some really cool stuff.” 

It seems the general pattern is that those who are mid-year grads are just taking off a semester early to do their own thing, but early graduates take an entire year for bigger, arranged plans. 

Pros and Cons

There are pros and cons to taking these different routes in your high school journey. To start with a con, it can be extremely hard to graduate early, especially if you do so in your junior year. If you are an early graduate, you have zero electives, and you stack core classes. One challenge could be if you are looking to accelerate in a specific subject. For example, if you want to get to AP Calculus level and you don’t have much high school credit from middle school, it could be pretty tight to fit all those classes in. 

A downside of early graduation is that you never truly have senior status because you graduate out of your junior year. We have senior events like senior sunrise and sunset, exam exception rules, and a senior muffin day on the first Wednesday of every month. Luckily for Green Level early graduates, Green Level staff allows them to have these senior privileges. 

“You never have senior status because you graduate out of your junior year. We allow our students to have senior privileges because I think that’s just fair. But there are some schools that don’t because you’re never actually a senior.” Said Roberts. 

For mid-year graduates going straight into a college or university, there is a downside because you start college a semester later than the rest of your class. The majority of your year has been in college for the entire fall semester, forming friendships and communities. 

“The freshman year experience at a four year college happens in the fall semester, so when you come in the spring, you don’t get the welcoming events and freshman celebrations,” said Roberts, “I’ve seen more athletes do it, partly because they’re coming into a community, whereas if you’re coming in the spring, that community started the semester before you.”

How does Green Level student services support early grads?

Despite the downsides, Mrs. Roberts hasn’t had any of her students regret their choice to graduate early. One major reason for this is that these students seem to have a concrete plan and know exactly what they want to do. If you are wishy-washy on your plans, this might not be the best decision for you. 

Another way the Green Level staff helps to minimize regret is by preparing for students to potentially change their minds. 

“Because we know that plans change and people change, we don’t actually stack that year until the final year. So everybody who’s graduating, a year early or a semester early, their schedules look the same for the first two years. Where you see the changes is in the junior year.” Roberts said. 

Early graduates have immense support from the staff in student services. While regular students have regular teachers as their advisors, early grads have either Mrs. Roberts or Mrs. Graham. This way, they are able to have more in depth conversations with counselors who specialize in early graduation to make sure they are on the right track. 

Finally, before students make the decision to graduate early, they must sit down with a parent/guardian and Mrs. Roberts or Mrs. Graham. This way, they can make sure that this is the best decision for them and that their parents are on board.

“They sit down with a parent with us to make that plan, so it feels more structured. There’s more of a dedication to here’s what we’re going to do together, if we’re on the same page, and then it allows students to ask a lot of individual questions that maybe they wouldn’t get if they’re just doing a traditional route.” Said Roberts.

​As Green Level students continue to evolve with their goals and dreams, early graduation has become a personalized pathway. Whether they look to earn college credits, prepare for careers, travel abroad, or even enter the workforce, these early graduates are taking the first step towards their future. Counselors in student services work to alleviate the challenges of early graduation. Good luck to all these students!