High Schools Share Early Graduation Plans For Students Who Have Met Requirements.
Morse High School, Bath
If a student is done with their credits and would like to not attend school, we are allowing it, with a few caveats: they would not be considered a full-time student, and would therefore not be eligible for any state benefits that they receive that requires this. They will not be able to participate in winter or spring athletics. These two barriers are keeping some students in school.
We are also requiring parent permission on these points with a signature.
Shead High School, Eastport
Most of our students, at Shead, are enrolled in our Early College program and will take up to 2 courses. The others are encouraged to be in internships/apprenticeships. Enrichment classes are available for the rest with the goal of keeping everyone as full-time students.
Hall Dale High School, Hallowell
Options for students who have met graduation requirements prior to graduation:
- Enroll in dual enrollment courses to help with the financial costs at college.
- Access courses at the community college or university while still enrolled in HS for cost purposes.
- To access employment and join us at graduation in June.
Sacopee Valley High School, Hiram
When a student has met their graduation requirements and wishes to complete HS early, we start by encouraging them to stay in HS and take as many courses as they can because courses are free in HS but they cost money later. It’s the school’s position that it is almost always in the student’s best interest to continue their secondary education for four years and maximize their learning. If the student is still insistent that they want to complete HS early, we ask both parent and student to sign an early graduation form which acknowledges understanding that communicating about end of year events like Prom and graduation is their responsibility. We do allow students who complete HS early to participate in senior end-of-year events.
Mount Desert Region High School, MDI
We allow them to finish early if they choose. They don’t receive their diploma until graduation in the spring. We also allow them to stay on and take another set of classes in the second semester. Many choose to do so.
Portland High School, Portland
If a student completes all of their requirements, has parent OK, has completed a post secondary plan AND has a plan for what they will be doing second semester, we allow students to be done!
Mountain Valley High School, Rumford
We are holding individual meetings with the kids and parents to review options. 1. Those options include receiving the diploma and moving on. 2. Coming back and taking a variety of courses which are all essentially electives. 3. Allowing students to stop attending, but participate in graduation in June.
Woodland Jr / Sr High School, Woodland
We let them graduate early, and have a process for doing so. The ceremony is still in the Spring, however, and they don’t formally graduate until transcripts are finalized prior to. The alternative is that they can stay in school for the final semester and we set them up either with college courses on-site at Washington County Community College, or online through the UMaine system. Both of which we can currently offer free to students. It allows them to knock out a semester of classes while still participating in extracurriculars through us (if they want). We have had three elect to graduate early, and one of them graduated an entire year early with almost a full year of college classes completed.
Yarmouth High School, Yarmouth
They are “done” and do not report to campus for classes or activities (such as clubs or sports), yet still allowed to participate in the end-of-year graduation ceremonies.