Posted on 10/24/2026 4:38:49 AM PDT by DFG
A genius New York teen was denied the opportunity to graduate high school early and earn his diploma to attend his dream college due to his age — despite being a full-time community college student.
Michael Sweeney, a 14-year-old homeschooler, is on the verge of applying to Arizona State University to study mechanical engineering, but his dreams were dashed when Bethlehem Central School District denied his request to enter his senior year, the Times Union reported.
The teen, who turns 15 in December, tried multiple times to get approval to graduate early but school officials claimed his homeschool plan didn’t meet the requirements needed for the credits.
Sweeney has outpaced all of his courses offered to him and is currently taking advanced classes, including Calculus III and Physics II at the local college where he’s been enrolled full-time for the last two years.
“He’s moving on to 12th grade,” his mother Nicole Sweeney told the outlet. “He’s testing out of every high school category at this point.”
He is bound by New York State’s compulsory education law that requires all kids between 6 and 16 to attend full-time instruction, meaning Sweeney would have to wait until the 2027-2028 school year to graduate.
The brilliant youngster has taken the California Achievement Test, a standardized exam common among homeschool students to ensure they are learning and not being left behind.
The CAT scores determine the grade level the students are equal to.
Sweeney scored a 13.5 equaling him to a sophomore in college, confirming his grade level is beyond that of a being a high schooler.
(Excerpt) Read more at nypost.com ...
Sounds like something a little positive publicity could fix easily. If the “dream college” is worthy of him it will take notice and then someone there opens the policy book and uses a pencil and eraser on it so the kid can be seated.
I was homeschooled despite resistance from the school district, and my state has burdensome regulations. When I reached the age of compulsory education, the folks were determined to continue homeschooling, and were promptly threatened with CPS intervention. A file was opened, and the CPS assured us it’d stay open all my life. They wanted to inspect the house, take my photograph, get my medical records...Parents got fed up and did the power display thing: money, lawyers, connections. (We were newcomers to the state.) School admin immediately backed off. We still submitted the necessary academic samples required, but when I turned 17 the legal obligations no longer applied and the school was politely notified we were done with them. Whereupon the admin said I would be classifed “officially” as a high school dropout. (Today, this administrator also has an official record: as a felon, which has more consequences.)
Life’s been good. I’m happy, healthy, prosperous. Never had any obstacles due to being a “dropout.” People not slowed down by bureaucratic hypoxia, need less than sixty seconds to recognize a homeschooled person.
A college that can’t, is not a dream college.
My sis graduated mid-term in her senior year. My turn came and the counselors advised against it citing being a ‘senior’ on campus-all it’s privileges and ‘status. I took the bait. Didn’t know it was all about them.
No worried at all about this young man. His parents have given him the foundation of a great education and solid values. Yet he is now learning that he must learn how to deal with the mediocrity and downright decadence around him if he is to be successful and avoid the darkside. Sadly American culture has become tolerant and comfortable with depravity. This school board is no doubt run by Democrats.
No, no, no, not in a commie trash DEI - controlled state. There are forms, policies, a process. Ability has nothing to do with it. You must take a knee to the “SYSTEM”.
Gawd says so, yah know.
I would say that this is basically anti homeschooling. Simply we’re going to show you that you can’t do things your way. As far as the rules they are citing, there are ways to finesse all rules. If the powers that be desire.
Our daughter home schooled and spent time in public school in Polk County Florida. I had plenty of dealings with those administrators at the school and county level. What a bunch of over-educated nimrods with no imagination and abject fear of making any decision that someone might question.
She graduated from high school in 2000. But those years of dealing with Polk County School System at all levels left me with a permanent distrust and disdain for government schools. Years later I have always regretted I did not keep a detailed Journal of that whole period it would have sufficed for a small book
We need a link here to chart showing state by state, age minimum to get into college
Anybody see a connection between these rogue mavericks and Trump accounts? I do. The home schoolers are thinking outside the box. They have no need or use for government’s way of doing things. The accounts will some day put an end to SSI before it dies on it’s own as the government’s way doesn’t work.
The left’s response in both cases will be the same. We’re denying the lifeline to SSI recipients. Soon no school funding-we’re leaving the slow/poor kids behind. That means more jails. Something tells me the it will get more intense as sacred cows get more exposed.
Gonna be awesome!
“The kid could simply drop out of high school and go straight to college.”
yep, happens all the time ... plenty of colleges and universities would give their left nut for this kid ...
This is an easy fix.
Withdraw from the school
Enroll in an homeschool
Bring transcript
Graduate.
This is an easy fix.
Withdraw from the school
Enroll in an homeschool
Bring transcript
Graduate.
This is just an attack on home schooling.
**“The kid could simply drop out of high school and go straight to college.”/yep, happens all the time ... plenty of colleges and universities would give their left nut for this kid ...**
Big price to pay. Can’t go wrong keeping the right one.
We had a guy in the military finish his GED on duty time. Just think. Getting paid to get educated. Let the military compete with the high schools for butts in the seats.
Growing up I was friends with a similar person; he didn’t officially graduate high school immediately but started university courses and got his B.S. with top marks by 16.
His employers didn’t need to ask about his high school diploma (rofl, kek, etc.).
Looking back at high school 50 years ago, There were 3 tiers of students. The first tier was for students to be able balance a check book by the time they graduated. The second tier was to provide people with skills to follow basic technical instructions. The third tier was to send better achievers off to college..
This has everything to do with the state being against Home Schooling.
The state believes they and ONLY they know how to not or mis-educate kids.
And, if you look at the educational outcome of students in New York, you’ll see that is exactly what it is.
New York spends the most per pupil of any state.
Ok, remove him from that school syztem, they have no power over him then.
It’s only bad when the genius in the groups they like.
He’s white and a male. This is why.
Iow: unions
That determination is not a proper role of government and it’s government that’s putting up roadblocks for him.
I’ve known a couple kids like this. One graduated HS at 12. Absolute genius with the street sense of a moldy rock. Utterly stupid. His parents wisely made him wait quite a while for college.
Another graduated college with a bachelors at 17. Her college was local.
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