What To Know When Your Teen Gets Both a GED and a High School Diploma
The crumpled navy diploma cover was still warm from the district’s alternative graduation ceremony when Javi pushed it across our kitchen table, next to the folded GED score sheet he’d gotten in the mail two weeks earlier. A half-eaten blueberry pop-tart sat off to the side, and a ring from my morning coffee darkened the edge of the diploma’s decorative paper. “Mia from the PTA asked me why I have two,” he said, leaning back in the chair and kicking the leg of the table lightly. “Said that’s weird. Is it weird?”
I didn’t have an answer for him right then. Two years earlier, when we moved across the state for my husband’s job, Javi’s social anxiety flared so badly he missed 40 days of sophomore year. He ended up in part-time independent study, and by the start of his senior year, we were looking at a spring graduation instead of the previous fall. That would have meant missing the application window for the electrician’s apprenticeship he’d wanted since he rewired a broken table lamp for me when he was 14, turning a pile of scrap into a working side lamp I still use.
We met with our guidance counselor, Mrs. Lopez, in her office that smelled like lemon Pledge and the peppermint tea she drank every afternoon, her laptop covered in golden retriever stickers. That’s where she suggested the option no one had ever mentioned to us before: Javi could work toward both a GED and his district high school diploma at the same time. He could knock out his two remaining credits (English 12 and PE) over the summer while studying for the GED. If he finished the GED by mid-July, he’d make the apprenticeship deadline even if the official diploma came a few weeks later. And if he changed his mind later and wanted to go to community college, he’d have both credentials to cover whatever requirement a school might ask for.
A week later, at our family’s 4th of July cookout, my aunt pulled me aside and asked why we’d “let him get a GED” if he could finish his diploma. The old myth that GEDs are only for dropouts, that they look bad to employers and colleges, still gets repeated a lot. I used to believe it too, before we started digging into our options.
What I’ve learned over the past year is that this old attitude is mostly outdated. Ninety-seven percent of colleges and nearly all employers accept GEDs as equivalent to a high school diploma these days. But having both solves a lot of specific problems that kids with non-traditional high school paths face, and it’s an option most schools don’t advertise. For us, it was the perfect middle ground between pushing Javi to delay his plans for a full semester and dropping out entirely to get just a GED.
Concretely, here’s how it worked for us, and what I tell other parents who ask about this path now. First, Javi’s transcript had a lot of incomplete grades from the months he missed school for anxiety, which dragged his overall GPA down to a 2.2. The apprenticeship program prefers a 2.5 minimum GPA, so having his 92nd percentile GED score gave him a way to show his current skill level, even when his transcript didn’t reflect what he could do. The diploma, meanwhile, proved he’d stuck out the district’s required credits, which some community college programs prefer if he decides to switch paths later. It gave him the best of both, instead of forcing him to choose one that would leave a gap later.
If you’re considering this for your kid, the first concrete step I tell people to take is to ask your guidance counselor this exact question: “Can my student work toward both a GED and a high school diploma at the same time?” Most districts allow it, but they won’t bring it up unless you ask, because the traditional one-or-the-other path is still the default. Second, pull up the requirements for every program your kid is interested in, from trade apprenticeships to community college to full-time jobs, and write down what credentials each accepts. Some early entry trade programs only accept GEDs, some four-year transfer programs prefer an accredited high school diploma, and getting both now saves you from scrambling to get the second credential a year from now when your kid changes their mind. Third, don’t waste time worrying what other people will say. Most people reviewing applications don’t care if you have one or two. They just care that you meet the minimum requirements.
Last month, Javi had his interview for the apprenticeship. They only take four people a year, and he ended up fifth on the waitlist. He didn’t get the spot this round, but the coordinator pulled him aside after the interview and said his two credentials stood out. It showed he’d planned ahead and worked hard to stick to his timeline, instead of putting his plans on hold. He’s reapplying next year, and in the meantime he’s taking a basic electrical night class at the local community college and still working part-time at the hardware store downtown.
He framed both the diploma and the GED certificate a few weeks ago, and hung them side by side above his desk. When his friends come over, they tease him a little for having two graduation pieces, but he just shrugs and says he earned both, so both go up.
I still get asked about it sometimes, when I run into neighbors or at parent coffee nights. People want to know if it was a waste of time, if it hurt his chances. The truth is, it’s not the path we planned when Javi started high school. Not a lot of things with kids go according to plan. This option let him keep his timeline, didn’t force him to put his life on hold because he struggled with anxiety for a year, and it leaves every door open for whatever he wants to do next. It’s weird, maybe, to people who followed the traditional path. But right now, it’s working, and that’s enough.
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