Drake Finishes High School at 25

Ten years after dropping out of high school, Canadian rapper Drake has finally earned his diploma at the age of 25. He scored a 97 percent on his last test, and an 88 percent overall in the course, completing his graduation requirements. “One of the greatest feelings in my entire life. As of tonight I have graduated high school!” he announced via Twitter on Wednesday night. He also thanked his teacher, Kim Janzen, “for spending the last 5 months working tirelessly with me!!”

Drake left his academic career for an acting one, after earning the role of Jimmy Brooks in the Canadian teen drama “Degrassi: The Next Generation.” He spent seven seasons playing the basketball star that later becomes disabled, and even graduated on screen in 2009. Before starting his entertainment career, Drake, also known as Aubrey Graham, attended Vaughan Road Academy, where Janzen is employed, and the Forest Hill Collegiate Institute.

“I actually dropped out of high school, which I don’t know if a lot of people know that,” Drake told Kentucky Sports Television during a visit to the school for an alumni basketball game. “But I dropped out of high school; I never really got like a great school experience.”

The Toronto native launched his music career after leaving Degrassi, and has become one of hip hop’s biggest names, frequently working alongside stars like Lil Wayne, Rihanna and Nicki Minaj under the Cash Money and Young Money labels. Years later, Drake has taken the time to let his life outside the spotlight catch up. Aubrey Graham can now add a high school diploma to his list of achievements.

Independent journalism still matters.

We hope this story was worth your time. For over 14 years, Atlanta Black Star has stayed Black-owned and independently run. We didn't get here by waiting on ad budgets that were never built to prioritize us. Our readers did that.

Corporate support for Black media has always been thin. Outlets like ours get roughly 1% of the $170 billion spent on U.S. advertising each year, and that margin is shrinking further as advertisers walk back the DEI-linked commitments they made in 2020. That's the backdrop. It's not why we're asking.

The wider picture isn't any steadier. Newspaper ad revenue has fallen more than 80% since 2005, and local newsrooms are closing at a rate of roughly two a week nationwide. When outlets go under, it's rarely the ones built to center a Black perspective from the ground up that get to stick around.

We know a request for support isn't why you came here. But without readers choosing to fund this work directly, the depth of reporting we can do at home and abroad shrinks along with everyone else's. If you're not in a position to give, that doesn't change how much we value you as a reader.

If you are able to, a recurring contribution does more for us than a single one-time gift, because it lets us plan the next investigation instead of just the next invoice. It takes about 30 seconds, no long form, no account. Thank you for continuing to support independent journalism and freedom of the press.

Back to top