A 14-year-old New York homeschool student who is already attending community college full time has been blocked from graduating high school early because of his age, putting his plans to attend his dream university on hold.
Michael Sweeney is preparing to apply to Arizona State University to study mechanical engineering. However, the Bethlehem Central School District denied his request to move into 12th grade, according to the Times Union.
Sweeney, who will turn 15 in December, made several attempts to secure approval for early graduation. School officials said his homeschooling program did not satisfy the credit requirements necessary for the grade level he sought.
The teenager has already surpassed the coursework available to him and is now taking advanced subjects—including Calculus III and Physics II—at a local community college, where he has been enrolled full time for 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.”
New York’s compulsory education law requires children between the ages of 6 and 16 to receive full-time instruction. Under the current interpretation of the rules, Sweeney may have to wait until the 2027-2028 school year to officially graduate.
To document his academic progress, Sweeney completed the California Achievement Test, a standardized assessment frequently used by homeschooling families to show that students are meeting educational benchmarks.
The CAT results are used to estimate the grade level at which a student is performing.
Sweeney received a score of 13.5, which the family says corresponds to the level of a college sophomore—well beyond the typical high school range.
Although he may be eligible to seek district permission after turning 15, his previous applications have been rejected. Officials said his homeschool workload did not align with the requirements expected for a student his age.
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“With no compliant homeschool program your student must enroll in school, either here at Bethlehem Central or elsewhere, such as a private school,” Bethlehem Superintendent Jody Monroe wrote in a letter rejecting the family’s request, according to the Times Union.
The district also rejected Sweeney’s individualized home instruction plan, known as an IHIP, last year. Officials said the plan focused on college courses without clearly documenting credits covering the academic requirements for grades eight through 11.
During what would have been his eighth-grade year, Sweeney completed 26 college credits while also earning high school credits intended to satisfy the requirements for grades nine through 11, the outlet reported.
His involvement has extended beyond the classroom. Sweeney also earned government-related experience after applying for his hometown’s tree advisory committee, becoming the youngest person to interview for the position.
Now facing the possibility of repeating high school—potentially in a traditional classroom—Sweeney worries that he could be forced to give up his college courses.
“Michael’s reached his point where he needs to start taking 300-level courses and you can’t transfer in 300-level courses, so he needs to enroll in ASU full time to continue his degree path,” Nicole Sweeney said.
A school board hearing where Sweeney’s parents and their attorney planned to challenge the district’s decision had been scheduled. The meeting was later delayed by a month while the lawyers attempted to resolve the dispute privately, according to the outlet.
Sweeney’s case comes as another young New York academic makes headlines. Long Island prodigy Joe Petraro-Hyppolite was accepted into New York University’s master’s program at age 13 earlier this year after battling cancer and Tourette’s syndrome.
Petraro-Hyppolite, who has an IQ described as being at Einstein’s level, is set to begin studying sports medicine at the New York City university next fall.
“My IQ is 168,” Petraro-Hyppolite, who is from East Rockaway, told CBS. “Whenever I tell people, it’s like, ‘Oh, Young Sheldon, Doogie Howser.’”
