Did your High School offer the option to graduate early?

No. I graduated at 16 but only because I moved from the UK.

Although my high school allowed students to take local JC classes via concurrent enrollment, students weren’t able to graduate early. Still, it was set up in such a way that students could get ahead in credits and leave before the end of the school day; that’s how it panned out for me, and during my 11th and 12th grade years I only had to take five classes as opposed to six (and if I hadn’t taken early release in my junior year I would’ve been able to get away with four classes in my final year).

Technically, every high schooler in CA can graduate early if they pass the California High School Proficiency Exam. The problem with that test, though, is that it really isn’t advertised (or at least it certainly wasn’t at my HS) so even finding out that that option EXISTS takes a bit of luck and effort on the students’ part. I knew about that test going into HS, and in hindsight I wish I would’ve just taken it and enrolled at my JC so that I would already be altogether done with school by now; I was just deluded into thinking that the typical four-year university path immediately post-HS would pan out for me, and instead I’m only just now starting at the JC level. Still fine, mind you, just a few years later than I probably would’ve liked.

I don’t know if other states offer similar options to students.

I graduated in January 1971. It really wasn’t that big a deal - I even missed a semester during my junior year and got only minimal credit for that period.

I did, however, spend 4 freaking hours per day, 5 days a week for 7 weeks doing World History the summer before my sophomore year. It was absolute torture, but I was able to graduate early.