Although there are a total of 264 new freshmen at De Soto High School this year, Bailey Laplante is unique in that she skipped eighth grade.

Starting high school can be a nerve-wracking experience, but in Laplante’s case, she had to completely start over.

“The hardest part was meeting new people and making new friends because I’ve had to kind of start from scratch rather than going in with a group of people that I’ve known for my whole school career,” Laplante said.

Laplante was able to skip because she was planning on taking Honors II Math as an eighth grader, but with all the complications, she wouldn’t have gotten credit for the class. This would have caused her to take an extra math class her senior year.

Since skipping grades is not something that is approved often, students sometimes ask Laplante about it.

“Usually it’s either, ‘oh are you the girl who skipped a grade?’ And I say, ‘yeah that’s me,’ or they’re just kind of surprised because they didn’t know [skipping a grade] was possible,” Laplante explained.

Despite the challenging aspects, skipping a grade does have its perks. Laplante is able to skip a year of middle school and graduate a year earlier.

Being confident in her decision, she can work to her potential at DHS.  

“I’m glad I skipped because I feel like I’m able to challenge myself, and I’m able to feel comfortable with the classes I’m taking,” Laplante said.

Laplante has already acclimated to her new school and looks forward to a challenging year ahead.