Skipping the Last Year of High School in the USA Through Proficiency Tests

[DragonDF]

Hi everyone,

I'm curious to know if it's possible in the USA or Canada to skip the 3rd year of high school by passing a proficiency test or something similar. Essentially, is there a way to "hack" the last year of high school?

Does anyone have any experience with this or know if it's feasible?

If yes, what is the cost?

Thanks!

[bjcheung77]

It really depends on what you're trying to do, from reading your signature, you've got past the high school years. Is this for yourself or someone else? How young is the student in question? There are various ways to get from one educational level to another, some go from grade 10 to a trade school, others to academies, community colleges, private institutions, universities, etc. If you're looking to ladder up, you don't really need anything but the prerequisites completed.

[origamishuttle]

What are the short- and long-term goals of the student?
High school in the U.S. is four years, so are you talking about the third and fourth year or just the fourth year?

There are various high school / college hybrid programs, like dual enrollment or early admission, but there are other ways to earn college credit while in high school, such as AP, CLEP, etc. One possibility to graduate early is switching to homeschool and accelerating any remaining coursework, but the rules will vary by state.

[DragonDF]

It really depends on what you're trying to do, from reading your signature, you've got past the high school years.  Is this for yourself or someone else? How young is the student in question? There are various ways to get from one educational level to another, some go from grade 10 to a trade school, others to academies, community colleges, private institutions, universities, etc.  If you're looking to ladder up, you don't really need anything but the prerequisites completed.

This is for my son. He is 16 years old. 
The law here does not allow you to advance the "high school" here, so I am trying to find another country where he can do it. 


He is already at the degree level but I am trying to find a way to advance to the 3rd year of high school (called "ensino médio" or "second degree" (2º). 

He started a legal process to make his school to give him a Proficiency test. This was in the final of the last year. But I am not sure if it will be fast enough and he does not want to spend his year learning things that will not help him in his IT future. 

So, a second option is to transfer to a country (maybe a state) that allows him to do it. 

Is there a way to do the last year of high school in the USA online? 


Thank you!

---

What are the short- and long-term goals of the student?
High school in the U.S. is four years, so are you talking about the third and fourth year or just the fourth year?

There are various high school / college hybrid programs, like dual enrollment or early admission, but there are other ways to earn college credit while in high school, such as AP, CLEP, etc. One possibility to graduate early is switching to homeschool and accelerating any remaining coursework, but the rules will vary by state.

Thank you for your interest in helping and reply. 

In Brazil and maybe in other countries, the Prussian Education System is a prison. If you are very good, you will need to spend the same time as the others who are not good. 

He plans to start his Bachelor's in Computer Science in the USA this year (2025) and asked in a legal process to finish the last year of our "high school" faster. Maybe in TESU or UMPI (if the option starts there this year).  The problem with UMPI is that the YOURPACE program does not accept people under 20 years old.
I am trying to find a good option to him. 

His uncles live in Canada but he has no interest in going there.

Thank you!

[ss20ts]

Not in my state because you need to meet a specific number of credits for various subjects. There aren't exams to test out of the courses. Some high schools have programs with community colleges where you earn college credit for your courses as you're taking English your senior year through the community college at your high school. There are subjects such as PE (physical education aka gym) where you need 4 years of credit in order to be eligible to graduate so skipping a year of high school would mean you're taking the class twice one year if that's even possible as it's not possible at every high school.

[DragonDF]

What do you know about online schools?

Like this one:
https://www.franklinschool.com/

[bjcheung77]

What's your budget, for high school, college combined? What's the tuition for Franklin school? I wasn't able to see that in their catalog...

[DragonDF]

What's your budget, for high school, college combined? What's the tuition for Franklin school? I wasn't able to see that in their catalog...

His budget, in fact. He is independent. He lives alone. 

About Franklin school: I have never read about it. 

Budget: 
If he can lost 1 year of life in the 3rd year of the 'high school' the cost will be:
U$ 0 / month - in a public school
U$ 170 /month - in a military school
Presential method. 

He needs to finish "high school' in Brazil to start his new degree at TESU or another University online. 
What I am trying to find is a way to get the high school certificate faster.

[bjcheung77]

Ouch, with that budget, you're not going very far... As I think Franklin is going to be more than a few grand USD, the cheapest online high school charges at least $1500 for the HS diploma... Having said that, there are always workaround options! My suggestion right now is to get all the ACE/NCCRS credits ready to be transferred into Excelsior or TESU Computer Science degree, you can start with Sophia.org for example, and get all the general education, plus electives, then Study.com etc, until you have at least 90 credits. You'll use those as dual enrollment credit classes to complete the HS diploma entirely and finish off the degree requirements at either EU or TESU, depending on your choice.

[ArshveerCheema]

Well, normally people are able to apply for PLAR credit where they can get credit for work/volunteer experience as well as for if a student has completed post-secondary courses but as I understand, that is not an option for your son.

Penn Foster High School is a regionally-accredited self-paced highschool and I really recommend it. I mean, I did the Canadian version but still, you can read tons of stories on Reddit of users finishing super fast.

https://www.pennfoster.edu/high-school

The school seems within your budget too.