Freshman, sophomore, junior, senior. FHS is among the many schools across the country who stick to this traditional school layout rather strictly. Other schools, however, have began to offer early graduation to their advanced students.

“We actually do offer early graduation, but it’s pretty rare,” Principal Mark Suchowski said. “If a student has a plan to enter college early because of an athletic scholarship, we would have to make sure that they met all of the 18 course credits that are required by the state of Michigan. The other exception is if a student is to be married before the end of their senior year. Another case is if you enter the military. However, almost all branches of the military are fine waiting until you graduate until you join.”

According to College Confidential, a student may be suited for early graduation if they have exhausted the opportunities and challenges at their high school. However, this tends not to happen at schools that offer dual enrollment and AP or IB courses like FHS.

“There was a time when there were many fewer course requirements by the state, so it was easier to say ‘You can be done now,’” Suchowski said. “After that, Fenton added their own, and the state has their own, so its much harder and much rarer to graduate early now.”

In addition to the previously listed cases where Early Graduation is a possibility, a student transferring from another school late in their high school career may be eligible to graduate early.

“If someone transferred, we would have to sit down and do it on an individual basis to make sure they meet all of the requirements,” Suchowski said. “At your old school, maybe you could earn 24 credits and you were there for three years, you’ve come here just for your senior year, and you have eight classes now. In a case like that, we would sit down and figure everything out on an individualized basis. Most students who come to us late like that, for just their senior year, tend not to be interested in graduating early.”

Any questions of concerns regarding early graduation should be addressed by a counselor or the principal.