Skip to main content

How old was your son when he graduated high school? Or, how old will he be when he graduates?

My son was 18 years and 2 months old.

I graduated in another state a million years ago at 17 years and 7 months.

Someone we know is graduating at 19 years and 8 months next year. (Yes, he reclassified. Repeated the 8th grade.)

Original Post

Replies sorted oldest to newest

17 years and 9 months.  You should ask hold old when entering college due to anyone with PG year, like say Teddy C who will be 20 and a few months when he enters college.

We know someone who is 4 months younger than my daughter. She was born June 2002 and he is November 2002. Thanks to being on the extreme favorable side of the school age cutoff, he was the oldest in his grade. Then he reclassified too.

So, while he's just 4 months younger than my daughter, he just graduated HS now and she's entering her junior year of college next month.

BTW, not knocking the kid. He's a really great kid. And unlike TC, he's going D1 to a really nice school and situation for him. So, it's paying off. That's the thing...people see it working and paying off for others...so they try it too.

18 and 7 months. Due to FL changing kindergarten entry to 6 he missed the cutoff.

So we opted for 2 years of K. One was in private the other public school.

As a fall baby he now became older in his class than younger. So technically he got his post grad year in way before HS graduation!

17 and 8 months.  This has been a constant source of heated discussion in our family.  We are probably one of the few parents who put our son a year up in school.  We homeschooled him until 2nd grade, and instead of putting him in 2nd grade in school, we put him 1 grade up to 3rd grade bec his can handle it academically and socially.  He had no issues in school and has a great group of friends (some who are 2 years older than him).  However, he's always been on the smaller side (size wise).  And when he sees his metrics compared to his class (2023) vs. his age group (2024) or even 2025 (if he gets held back a year), he gets so frustrated with us as he feels like he would have been highly ranked in the state as a 2024 or 2025.

My wife and I never regretted the decision.  We tell him that he gets a 1 or 2 year head start in life (and earnings), he has 1 or 2 more years to enjoy adulthood and his family later on, he has an amazing group of friends that he would not have been with, and he probably would not have met his current GF (that last reason is the one that works the best with him...).  Baseball wise, I tell him that he probably would not have gotten to where he is right now (skill wise) if he has not been forced to work harder to keep up with kids bigger than him.  I tell him that he will find the right college for him, and at some point in the near future, everyone will reach their maximum growth and the playing field will become even.  He would have an advantage then as he's always had to work harder growing up.  He may not have gotten the attention or accolades when he was 12 to 16 years old, but that's not what's important.

@atlnon -

We always had my son play up. When he was 10u he was playing 12u. When he was 14u he was playing 16u. On top of that, puberty hit very late. So, he was always the smallest on the field.

People thought we were nuts and punishing him. But, he was always able to compete and hang in there with the older kids.

Guess what? At 15, as a HS freshman, he made Varsity, was a starter, and led the team in HR. Playing with and against older kids never bothered him in HS because he's always been doing it.

Different strokes for different folks, I guess? I get that it must be fun to be the man among boys and dominate. And you will get to college older and colleges don't want teenagers. These are pretty much facts.

I won't fault anyone for doing it.

Me?  I just always was impressed by the younger player who could compete with the older players. I think that's not odd...people are fascinated with Juan Soto and the like when they star in the majors so young.

Turned eighteen a week after graduation. Daughter was 17y-10m. I was 18y-5m. I never gave this much thought. I never gave thought to one of my high schools was one of the largest in the country with a lot of competition. I never gave thought to my kids were in a large classification high school. It’s just what it was. Take the field, court, etc. and complete.

My kids played with their friends in their age group until middle school. Then they played up to their ability. There wasn’t a grand plan. It’s just the way we did it.

I assume that some of this depends on your geographical area as well.  @nycdad, I believe the school cut off ages are different from what they are here in the upper midwest.  I have a friend in NYC and her son is the same age as my daughter but a grade ahead of her.  You have to be 5 by September 1 in order to start kindergarten here. Yes, you can hold them back but can't send them any earlier. 

My son had an October birthday so ultimately was one of the older ones in his class.  He was 18 and 8 months when he graduated. 

Son graduated at 17yrs : 8 mts.  He didn't skip, just started as a younger student.  Baseball/sports was the last thing on our mind as nobody ever played beyond the high school team.  Because he was often a smaller kid on the team, he had to make up for it by working harder and understand the game better than his teammates.  Even today he knows he doesn't have the physical build, athletic gifts, etc. that majority of the other players have, and he must continue being a better student of the game to succeed.

17 and 8M.  I think if the kid is on the young side Aug-Sep birth date then holding him back say between kindergarten and first is a legitimate thing to do.  But a kid whose average age or older and then doing it for an advantage, kind of silly, unless there are maturity, academic, medical or mental illness issues to consider.  I think it gets a bit much when it's done between middle school and high school and then again by reclassifying later, for no other reason than a sport, and graduating at 20 years old.  (you better be going pro and not just getting a 25% scholarship to make up the private school cost)

We considered all these options based on his age, and wish we had done it early since he didn't have public kindergarten the year he entered school age but it was offered the very next year.   Would I have felt guilty about it sports wise, no because he would have been no older on average in his new class than some in his "legitimate" current classmates are over him.

My kid and his cousin graduated 17 + 7mo (Nov bday) and 17+6mo (Dec bday). They were both mature, smart and athletic enough to play in their grades and both will/are attending colleges and playing baseball and softball. I do hear them play the what if I reclassed game, and I was quick to remind them both they will start their careers earlier and make more $$$, as they will likely need to support their broke @$$ parents getting them into these expensive colleges.

Add Reply

×
×
×
×
Link copied to your clipboard.
×