In 2020, US Rep. Lauren Boebert earned a GED diploma just months before she won her seat in the US House of Representatives.
A spokesperson for Lauren Boebert confirmed that the congresswoman (aged 34) had received her GED in 2020 after participating in an online GED prep course.
So the claim that she earned her GED® just before she got elected is accurate. The GED (General Educational Development) education credential is equivalent to a regular high school diploma.
Boebert’s Education
In 2020 she told the Durango Herald (Colorado) that she was actually a “real good student” at Rifle High, but that when she became a young, new mom, she prioritized raising her child over her academic education.
On her academic education background, Lauren Boebert claimed she never said she graduated from Rifle High but that she just went there to high school.
As she was a new mom, she needed to make some tough decisions to either go to biology class or raise her child properly. She said she loved the school and was a bright student but that raising her family was her top priority.
In January 2021, Boebert responded to the online critics of her academic education in a tweet. She wrote (paraphrased) that nobody needs an Ivy League college degree to be able to attain the American Dream.
Members of the U.S Congress Education
The Washington Post says (paraphrased) that not all lawmakers have a college degree. Over twenty House members (but none of the senators) hold just a high school degree, as Congressional Research Service (CRS) found out.
So around six percent of all US lawmakers only have a high school or equivalent degree. Then again, that’s a huge reduction from the early 1960s when almost 25 percent of US lawmakers held just a high school or equivalent diploma.
Regarding the educational spectrum at the other end, about one-third of all US House members and about fifty percent of our senators have law degrees, according to CRS.
GED Diploma vs. High School Diploma
A GED Diploma has the same value as a high school diploma and is treated this way by colleges and employers. Moreover, there is a growing trend of acknowledging that GED diploma holders have a high level of perseverance, self-motivation, and self-learning.
After all, non-traditional students need to jump through many hoops before receiving their high school equivalency (GED) diplomas.
Technically, the GED diploma is awarded if students pass four GED subtests that measure academic proficiency in the fields of Social Studies, English Language Arts, Mathematics, and Science.
While the concept of passing the GED tests sounds easy, it is, in fact, a process that requires self-management, initiative, self-motivation, self-reliance, resourcefulness, and judgment. All these skills are highly valued in today’s economy by top employers.
To summarize
US Rep. Lauren Boebert is a high school equivalency diploma holder; she passed her GED exam in 2020. She is one of 22 members of the US House of Representatives who don’t hold a college degree. Boebert received a GED diploma just before she won her seat in Congress.