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Indiana teen graduating from college before getting high school diploma

Early college graduate
Indiana teen graduating from college before getting high school diploma 02:03

GARY, Ind. -- Eighteen-year-old Raven Osborne is about to get her college degree.

"I graduate from college on May 5," she told CBS News' Jericka Duncan.

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Raven Osborne CBS News

But when does she graduate from high school? May 22.

Yes, it's true; Raven gets her college degree two weeks before her high school diploma.

"When people hear that … they're going, 'What? How did she do that?'" Duncan said.

"Yeah they think I'm lying," Raven said.

She did it through online classes, year-round community college and two years at Purdue University Northwest. Her semester-long college courses counted as a full year of high school credit.

"Sophomore, that was the most work. I had five high school classes, four college classes," she said.

Raven attends the 21st Century Charter High School in Gary, Indiana. The school is surrounded by dilapidated buildings, a common sight throughout the city.

Everyone here is required to take college classes on a college campus in order to graduate.

Some get just a few credits. Five of this year's 43 graduates earned associate's degrees. And then there's Raven.

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Kevin Teasley CBS News

Kevin Teasley started the GEO foundation, which runs the school. He uses state funding for tuition and transportation to nearby college campuses.

"The one line item I want to see go up every single year is how much I'm spending on college," Teasley said.

"When I started it was $10,000. Last year it was $85,000."

And how much did Raven pay for college? "Absolutely nothing," she said. "Not a dime."

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Raven Osborne teaching younger students. CBS News

This fall, Raven will be back at 21st Century Charter.

Instead of paying for college, the school will be paying her salary, $38,000 a year to teach.

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