Celebrities Who Graduated High School Later in Life: From Jeremy Allen White to Mark Wahlberg and More

Cindy Adams had a double celebration when she received her high school diploma at her 94th birthday party in April 2024.

New York Governor Kathy Hochul presented the honorary diploma to the legendary columnist during the special event, 80 years after her supposed graduation from Andrew Jackson High School in Queens.

"We had a thing for women called 'home ec,' — called home economics — in those days, the ladies had to sew their own graduation dress. I don't know how to sew a godd--- graduation dress," Adams said.

At 25, Drake finally brought home a high school diploma.

"As of tonight I have graduated high school!" the rapper revealed on X (formerly Twitter) in 2012. "One of the greatest feelings in my entire life."

After leaving school at 16, Emma Chamberlain returned and earned her diploma five years after she was supposed to graduate.

"I got my high school diploma," she captioned a post from her graduation ceremony at Notre Dame High School in Belmont, Calif.

During an appearance on the October 23 episode of Live with Kelly and Mark, Jeremy Allen White revealed he received his high school diploma from his former drama teacher at the New York Film Festival premiere of Springsteen: Deliver Me from Nowhere.

According to White, he never graduated from high school because he "did not have enough credits."

"I had him come because he's a great teacher and we've remained friends, but he's also a really, really big Bruce Springsteen fan, so I wanted him to come and be there," he said of his teacher Greg Parente. "At the end of the night he gave me a gift. And I was like, 'Ah, you don't have to do this, this is crazy, what are you giving me a gift for?' And I open it up and it is my high school diploma."

"So as of last night, at 34 years old, I graduated high school. So I've got that in my hotel room now, and it’s really nice," he added.

Mark Wahlberg officially became a high school graduate at 42, saying his children motivated him to achieve the "huge accomplishment."

"It's also a huge sense of relief," he told People. "I wondered, 'Why didn't I do it when I was there?' It's so much harder at 41 going back and trying to do all these difficult tasks."

The Planet of the Apes actor managed it by studying between takes on the set of Two Guns, though his costar Denzel Washington did not know about it.

Quavo joined the Class of 2020 and earned his diploma at 29.

"Finally Can Say I Graduated High School Class Of 2020," he captioned a since-deleted Instagram post. "We Lit. Now What College Should I Go To?"

He celebrated the milestone by releasing the song "Need It."