What applied back in our day was before today’s immense competition.
You phrased it, “Is this an option if kid wants to leave school early?” Wanting to leave high school early isn’t enough reason for the top colleges to see the kid as ready and mature, a good fit for them. Agree about a well-chosen gap.
But some of these hypothetical questions feel like going in circles. If you have a good idea what top colleges really look for, you can often assess better.
He is already the youngest kid in his grade, taking mostly hard APs so with seniors in most classes who are up to three years older. I don’t want him to run any faster in life just because he can, kids should get time to enjoy life as a teen. We want to enjoy our last year’s with him, before he heads of to college. It’s never the same after highschool, we know from our prior experience.
My D17 received mailings from a few schools specifically for admission after junior year, some mentioned by @ClassicRockerDad. There are also some schools that offer online programs while finishing high school. D decided that she’d rather gain a year of maturity before heading to college, and enjoy her senior year. Ironically, I thought that showed some maturity on her part! (and I wasn’t ready to let her go yet-next year is soon enough for me!)
We even regret our decision to send kids to daycare and preschool so early. In hindsight, we could’ve managed on one income or two partial incomes and had a much relaxed household and raised them ourselves. Ah, live and learn.