Child Prodigy Who Mastered Calculus Cannot Graduate High School Early

A 14-year-old academic prodigy who has completed Calculus II and linear algebra is unable to advance with his college studies because school officials have refused to approve his early high school graduation.

Michael Sweeney, of Bethlehem, New York, has been homeschooled throughout his education while attending community college full time. However, the Bethlehem Central School District has denied his request to graduate early—rejecting the application as many as three times this year.

According to the Times Union, Sweeney has completed Composition I and II, as well as college-level coursework in history, engineering, physics and health.

He scored 13.5 in every category of the Cognitive Abilities Test, or CAT—well above the 12-point benchmark used to demonstrate completion of 12th-grade-level work. The test is commonly used by homeschooling families to satisfy New York’s standardized-testing requirements.

“He’s moving on to 12th grade. He’s testing out of every high school category at this point,” Michael’s mother, Nicole Sweeney, told Times Union.

His parents told the newspaper that Michael earned 26 college credits in a single year while also completing his high school coursework. They believe that academic progress should count as the equivalent of finishing ninth, 10th and 11th grades.

The family submitted Michael’s homeschool education plan and all required transcripts, but the district has rejected each request for an early diploma.

“With no compliant homeschool program your student must enroll in school, either here at Bethlehem Central or elsewhere, such as a private school,” Superintendent Jody Monroe wrote in a rejection notice to the family.

The New York State Education Department says Sweeney would need to attend public high school for two more years because he will not turn 16 until after the next school year begins. He is scheduled to turn 15 on December 10.

Sweeney has applied to Arizona State University’s mechanical engineering program, but he cannot enroll without first graduating from high school.

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“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,” his mother told the outlet.

Times Union reported that Monroe told the family they could appeal her decision before the school board and make the case for Michael’s early graduation.

The family has since retained an attorney to assist with the appeal.

The Sweeney family said the Bethlehem Central District postponed a planned school board meeting to allow the attorneys time to explore a potential resolution.

Michael’s parents said the district proposed that he complete ninth grade during the current school year. They also said officials declined to count his college credits toward ninth through 11th grade.

Meanwhile, the family is pursuing enrollment for Michael in an online ASU degree program. The course would provide student build kits and computer-aided design software that he could use from home.

 ‘I really like the problem-solving, but also the creativity of it. Something that’s fake but magic almost,’ Sweeney told the outlet. 

He said he dreams of designing, creating and testing out animatronics that are often used in theme parks as his future line of work. 

Our News Outlet has reached out to Bethlehem Central School District for comment.