Did Lauren Boebert Graduate High School? What We Know About Her Education

Congresswoman Lauren Boebert is nothing if not a controversial public figure. Boebert became Colorado's Third Congressional District representative in 2020. She was 33 years old when she became a congresswoman, making her the youngest representative in the district's history. She was also both the first woman and the first mother to represent there. And, while her role as a mother has caused her to make history in her career, it also changed the trajectory of her education. Boebert got her GED rather than graduating high school. And, while this fact has earned her criticism, she is proud that she prioritized her young family over school.

In January 2021, whispers that the Republican congresswoman had never graduated high school took the internet by storm. Some folks used the news as a way to criticize Boebert's political success. "TIL that Congresswoman Lauren Boebert, QAnon conspiracy theorist, obtained her GED just last year. A high school GED graduate of 8 months with no college education, with no political experience, is a Congresswoman of the United States. The American Dream," one X, formerly known as Twitter, user sarcastically quipped. "I feel like political science degrees should be a requirement," another user replied. While this may have seemed like just gossip to some, it was ultimately confirmed as fact. Boebert had received her GED just months before getting elected to the House of Representatives. 

While plenty of Lauren Boebert's critics attempted to use her education against her, the congresswoman made it clear that she wasn't embarrassed by her past. In 2020 she spoke to The Durango Herald, explaining that while she had previously said that she attended Rifle High School in Colorado, she never made any false claims about having graduated from the school. "I went to my high school," she said, but life circumstances caused her to drop out. "I was a brand-new mom, and I had to make hard decisions on successfully raising my child, or getting to high school biology class. And I chose to take care of my child," the congresswoman explained. 

The staunch anti-abortion advocate was 18 years old and a senior in high school when her first child, Tyler, was born."I didn't go through the typical education course," Boebert explained, noting that this had everything to do with being a young mother. According to her, "I was a great student. I had great grades. I loved being there, but I was starting my family and had different priorities." Boebert went on to have three more sons with her husband, Jayson Boebert. In 2023, the couple called it quits after 18 years of marriage. In addition to being a young mom, Boebert became a young grandmother in 2023, when her son, Tyler, welcomed her first grandchild to the family.