Graduation - Class of 2027

Graduation is Thursday, June 10, 2027 at 8:00am at the Raleigh Convention Center.

Principal Pittman shared the date as a "Save the Date." More details are coming from the school.

If you check the school's Senior Class Information page and see graduation listed as TBD, that page has not caught up yet. June 10 is the date Mr. Pittman gave families.

Everything on this page is graduation itself: the ceremony, tickets, caps and gowns, regalia, rehearsal, and what your senior has to clear before they can walk. Start-of-year forms and school business live on School Information & Forms.

The Ceremony

• Thursday, June 10, 2027 at 8:00am
• Raleigh Convention Center, 500 S. Salisbury St., Raleigh
• The Class of 2027 is about 700 seniors, one of the largest yet

Mid-Year Graduation (January)

Seniors who finish their requirements in January do not have to wait for June - AFHS holds a separate mid-year graduation ceremony for them.

• Thursday, January 14, 2027 at 6:00pm, AFHS Auditorium - confirmed on the school's senior class information page
• Midyear Graduates Meetings - Friday, September 25 and again in November: midyear graduates meet to get information about their graduation ceremony options, exams, and more. The school has added a September session this year, so the November one is no longer the first chance to ask questions
• A smaller, more personal ceremony: every student walks across the stage and receives their diploma
• Families report no limit on how many family and friends can attend per student, unlike the June ceremony

Thinking About Graduating Early?

Families who have been through it, plus an admissions professional in the class Facebook group, offer a consistent picture:

What families like about it:

• The January ceremony is smaller and more personal than the June one at the convention center - and mid-year graduates can still walk in June too if they want
• It works especially well for students headed into a trade, an apprenticeship, expanded Wake Tech coursework, or work - several families say it was the best choice their student made

• Once a student graduates in January, they are done: no spring sports, theatre, prom, or other school activities for the rest of the year
• If college is the plan, talk to the colleges first. Admissions offices like to see a full senior-year course load with rigor, and the Common App lists senior-year classes. Taking community-college classes after graduating can also complicate whether colleges treat your student as a freshman or transfer applicant - confirm with each school your student is considering
• A student who graduates early should be ready to explain the choice and what they are doing with the time

Tickets

Nothing about graduation tickets has been announced for the Class of 2027. How many each family gets, how they are distributed, and when they arrive are all set by the school closer to graduation.

What we can say for now:

• Tickets have been limited in past years, and the Class of 2027 is about 700 seniors, one of the largest yet. Plan for a limit, but do not plan around a specific number until the school announces one
• When families end up with extras, some share them on the Class of 2027 Facebook group. That is parent-to-parent, not a school process
• Questions? Contact Mr. Pittman ([email protected])

Cap and Gown

Caps and gowns are ordered through Jostens. Jostens came to campus to take orders on September 3, and a form went home with students. If you missed it, you can order at jostens.com or contact Ms. Matthews ([email protected]).

Everything is delivered to the school in the spring and handed out during lunch in the auditorium lobby. Nothing ships to your house, so there is no rush to have it in hand now.

The Jostens Order Is Confusing. Here Is What Families Have Worked Out.

This has generated more questions in the class Facebook group than almost anything else this fall. The order form is built to upsell, and the wording around tassels in particular has tripped up a lot of people. What follows is what parents have pieced together, not official school guidance.

You do not have to buy a package. Items can be ordered individually. The packages bundle in announcements, keepsakes, jewelry, and other things nobody is required to have.

The tassel is already included in the cap and gown package. Families ordering the basic package report it listed as Cap, Gown, Tassel and Custom Stole, around $57. If you order that, the tassel is in it.

The "stacked tassel" add-on is a second tassel, not the one you need. It shows up as an extra charge, commonly around $16, and it is optional. Seniors keep their original tassel after graduation, so the add-on only makes sense if you specifically want a spare. Several families have added it by accident thinking it was required.

Reusing an older sibling's cap and gown? You need the souvenir tassel. The tassel carries the graduation year, which is the part that has to match. Order the souvenir tassel on its own and skip the rest.

Watch the fees on small orders. Parents ordering a single tassel have reported a service and delivery charge of roughly $12 on a $13 item. If you are ordering one small thing, the fee can equal the item. Some families have raised the idea of a group order to split shipping. Nothing like that is organized at the moment, so do not wait on one.

Gowns are sized by height, not gender. The order form asks for gender along with height and weight, and that has worried families planning to hand a gown down between a brother and a sister. It is the height that determines the gown. If the sizing fits, the gown fits, and a sibling's gown can be reused across genders.

One Question Still Open

What is the ordering deadline? No date has been published that we have seen. Since distribution is not until spring there is likely room, but nobody should count on that. If you get an answer from the school, email [email protected] and it will go on this page.

Also Worth Knowing

• Your cap and gown photos are separate, taken at your CADY senior portrait session (see Senior Pictures)
• Questions about caps and gowns go to Ms. Matthews ([email protected])

Honor Cords, Stoles, and Regalia

Seniors who earn certain honors or Latin honors, or who belong to groups like National Honor Society, may wear cords, stoles, or other regalia at graduation.

Which honors carry regalia at AFHS, and how students receive or order it, is set by the school and the sponsoring groups. We will add specifics here as they are confirmed. Questions go to your counselor or the group's advisor.

Graduation Rehearsal & Senior Awards

AFHS combines graduation rehearsal and Senior Awards into one evening, and it has been a required event for seniors who plan to walk. The date has not been set - the school sets it once the graduation date is confirmed.

Everything below describes how this evening has run in the past. None of it is confirmed for the Class of 2027, and times, requirements, and deadlines can all change. Treat it as a heads-up on what to expect, not as a plan, and confirm with the school before arranging anything around it.

The schedule has run roughly like this:

• Graduation tickets have been handed out at rehearsal, and seniors who missed the evening did not receive them or walk. If that holds for 2027, this is an evening you cannot skip - but wait for the school to confirm it
• Conflicts had to be cleared with the principal ahead of time. The school's current wording is that conflicts must be cleared prior to June 5
• Seniors wear caps and gowns. Formal or casual clothes underneath are both fine, and wearing shoes similar to graduation day is encouraged if they are not what you usually wear
• Parents of seniors receiving awards were notified in advance, around mid-May
• The awards program celebrates scholarships and accomplishments, so sharing your senior's news with AFHS during the year helps make sure it is included - AFHS asks families to submit awards through the scholarship reporting form as they come in, rather than all at once in the spring

Graduation Speaker

Seniors can apply to speak at graduation. Applications open in February 2027.

• Preference goes to students with strong academics, strong involvement in school activities, and a strong pattern of positive choices
• The deadline and application link come from the school

Before They Can Walk: Obligations and Clearance

Before graduation, seniors usually need to clear any outstanding obligations, such as returning their Chromebook and charger, textbooks, and library books, and paying any unpaid fees.

AFHS will publish the exact clearance steps and deadline for the Class of 2027. Unpaid fees or unreturned items can hold up graduation participation, so watch for the school's instructions and confirm with Student Services.

Around Graduation

Other end-of-year events have their own pages:

• Baccalaureate - a ceremony honoring seniors before graduation, open to all faiths. It only happens if a parent steps up to organize it
• Senior Sunset - follows Senior Awards, on the AFHS football field. See the Senior Calendar

Photos

We do not post pictures of students on this hub. It is a parent-made resource, not an official PTSA webpage.

Photos are shared on the AFHS PTSA senior page, the official home for senior photos, and on the committee Instagram, @afhs_ptsa_seniors_2027.

collegehound.com/community/afhs/seniors

Last updated: September 19, 2026