To celebrate National Computer Science Week, graduation candidates at Acceleration Academies across the nation spent a day exploring skills that could change the course of their lives.

Jennifer, Valerie and Dominic Amador are three siblings from a close-knit Texas family. When the trio decided they needed a different kind of high school, they took care of themselves and each other in the way they always do — together.

For Michael Demara, family comes first. When his family moved from a small, overcrowded apartment into a more spacious home after his junior year, it brought a welcome change to their lives.

The latest crop of graduates from Bethel Acceleration Academies in Spanaway, WA, recently strode across the stage and celebrated the diplomas they worked so hard to earn.

Kendall Mast had never felt at home in the hurly burly of traditional high school. Throw in a series of family moves and the challenge of finding a stable school environment became that much steeper.

Diago Harris ran with a rough crowd and, before long, lost interest in school. He dropped out, landed a job in construction and, for a time, felt like his life was on a positive trajectory.

High school is a busy time in life. You’re trying to balance academics with extracurriculars, college searching and applications, family obligations and, often, a time-consuming job. While many students choose to work in high school because it allows them to save money for college, pay for their...

High school sucks. I hate high school.I want to drop out of high school. Should I drop out of high school?

For Bryce Dittman, a traditional high school with its bustling classrooms and hectic hallways proved an exercise in distraction. “It was a draining environment,” he says. “I couldn’t really learn.”