Graduating as a junior is becoming more and more common at AHS. In the 2024 – 2025 calendar year there were eight early graduates.There are 12 students from the 2025-2026 school year which creates a significant increase.

This year there is a new school policy for no scheduled study hall other than the opposite of PE or Weights classes. With this new policy the question is if the requirements for graduation are easier to meet because credits are obtained early. At Atlantic High School you have to obtain 48 credits to graduate; by taking seven credits each semester, students earn 49 credits by  the end of first semester senior year. Students who want to graduate at the end of their junior years can wave one study hall per year to pick up another class. They can also take Acellus summer school classes.

Only recently have students started graduating at the end of their junior year. Government teacher Holly Esbeck said, “I don’t have a formal opinion on this matter because it’s almost like they just skipped a year.”

Ismael Elba, one of the students who will be graduating at the end of his junior year, said, “It takes discipline and commitment to graduate early.”