Every high schooler in Texas has to complete the minimum of 26 credits required by the state in addition to passing all the standardized tests in order to graduate. Some people complete those credits sooner and can graduate earlier than the rest of their peers. 

“Early graduation would be completing high school in less than four years”, Dr. Karen Austin said. “You [would] still have to have the required 26 credits.”

The allure of graduating early has many different benefits for students looking to join the early graduation program in Frisco ISD. 

“[Students] can potentially start college early and some students will take a gap year,” Austin said. “…some students decide to go to trade school and [graduating early enables] them to start their trade earlier.”

In addition to starting college early, students can also get their undergraduate degree sooner in order to get their graduate degree quicker. 

“By graduating early, [students] wouldn’t have the feeling of missing out on their 20s because they are completing college for medicine or law,” Junior Maria Moyalan said. 

Despite the advantages of graduating early, there are still some disadvantages to completing high school early. 

“I feel like [I’d be] missing out on the memories you make in high school,” Moyalan said. 

Furthermore, graduating early from high school might mean missing out on extracurriculars or other opportunities that students don’t have in college. 

“In order to graduate early, I would have to miss out on extracurriculars such as fine arts or sports so I could complete my credits in time,” 8th grader Jake Montee said. 

Whether or not the pros outweigh the cons, there is a financial aspect to graduating early. 

“[Students] would most likely have to take summer classes, which would cost money,” Austin said. 

Overall, there are many different pros of graduating early, including going into the workforce early and not missing out on your 20s but there are also some cons such as being younger than most in college and having to pay for summer classes. Dr. Austin asks students to talk to their counselors before considering doing early graduation. 

“[Early graduation] is not for everyone,” Austin said. “[Students and parents] should get all the information first and then figure out what’s best for them.”