“I can’t both be first in my class and also achieve my full potential senior year. I just can’t.”
You seem almost desperate to get away from your high school. You wrote that taking 4 APs leaves no room for anything else. My Ds took 5 APs junior year. It was not a lot of work for him because he really likes math and physics and has a love for history and politics. Does your school offer a mentor ship program? If not, can you arrange for a non-credit period and shadow at a non profit?
This might be hard to read but consider stepping back from being No. 1. Go to high school your senior year with a different attititude. Take the classes YOU want to take. My son’s school allows all kinds of flexibility in courses as long as graduation requirements are met. From reading your posts, you see yourself as an independent learner who want to learn for the sake of learning. Your comments about high school give the impression that you have gotten caught up in the prestige of rankings and the need to be No. 1 at all costs. Top schools are looking for students who have passion for what they learn. Find that passion.
Graduating early and /or homeschooling will likely hurt your chance for Yale. But, then again, is Yale really the best fit for you or is Yale more about prestige?