How Far The Young Sheldon Cast Really Got In School

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"Young Sheldon" premiered on CBS in 2017 as a spin-off of the multiple award-winning show "The Big Bang Theory." The show's premise — following the life of 9-year-old Sheldon Cooper (Iain Armitage) — quickly became an audience magnet. When "Young Sheldon" first aired, a reported 17.2 million viewers were glued to their screens, and even when its seven-season run came to an end, 7.9 million diehard fans still stuck around for its final premiere.

At the heart of the "Young Sheldon" storyline was Cooper's excellence in school. Cooper was enrolled at Medford High School after skipping a couple of grades, and although his achievement was impressive, the same could not be said for his personality. The young genius spent a good chunk of his first day in high school getting on everyone's nerves; he called out his fellow students for violating the dress code, corrected his teachers at every chance, and embarrassed his brother, Georgie. Of course, Cooper was too qualified for high school, and he eventually joined college at 11 years old.

A much older Cooper was played by actor Jim Parsons on "The Big Bang Theory." Parsons was drawn to the role because of his character's quirks, and as an older version of Cooper, he was a theoretical physicist with several academic qualifications, including a master of science degree and a PhD. Taking Cooper's academic progress into account, we are curious to find out how far the cast of "Young Sheldon" got in school in real life.

Iain Armitage began acting when he was 7 years old, and as such, he was homeschooled to create a balance between his career and education. Over the years, Armitage shared his progress in school with his social media audience. At the time of writing, his last such post was an adorable September 2020 picture shared on Facebook that he captioned, "First day of 6th grade." Although Armitage hasn't updated his fans on his advancement since, he is projected to begin 11th grade in September 2025.

Naturally, Armitage has other pursuits besides school. From the time he was 4 years old, he took up Taekwondo, a sport that he found a way to juggle as he continued acting. The "Big Little Lies" actor eventually earned a black belt in 2022, and in a reflective post shared on Instagram, he revealed that the journey hadn't been a walk in the park. "Earning a blackbelt has been the hardest thing I've ever done," Armitage wrote. "The two day exam was so overwhelming, i worried it might defeat me."

Armitage might just have a penchant for picking hard things after all, especially since he transformed from a child star to a pilot after "Young Sheldon" came to an end in 2024. "I just got my pilot's license, or my student pilot's license," he shared in a chat with People, adding that his mom and grandmother were passengers on one of his flights. "I hopefully will get my private [pilot's license] when I'm 17. And I've been having a bunch of fun flying while I'm here in LA."

Jim Parsons voiced Sheldon Cooper during the time "Young Sheldon" was on air, and on the show's finale, he made a cameo alongside his on-screen wife, Amy Farrah Fowler (Mayim Bialik). Parson's passion for acting stems from his roots in Houston, Texas and dates back to when he joined the drama squad at Klein Oak High School. Even back then, Parson's potential to be a successful actor could be smelled from a mile away. "Jim had something that's just innate, that you have to be born with. It's just the 'it' thing. And Jim had 'it,'" his drama teacher at the time, Margaret Valenta, told KHOU.

Parsons graduated high school in 1991 and went on to pursue an undergraduate degree in theater from the University of Houston. In college, Parsons was not only a student, but also one of the pioneer members of a theatre troupe dubbed Infernal Bridegroom Productions. "To this day, I've probably done the majority of my acting in Houston," the actor recalled in a promotion blog post for Houston.

Parsons received a master's degree in fine arts from the University of San Diego in 2001. In March 2015, his alma mater honored him with the Author E. Hughes award for outstanding career achievement. It was a well-deserved recognition since Parsons had already bagged four Emmy wins as an outstanding lead actor in a comedy series. The actor went on to receive more accolades, including the Stephen F. Kolzak Award at the 2018 GLAAD Media Awards.

Long before Lance Barber portrayed George Cooper Sr., Sheldon Cooper's dad on "Young Sheldon," he made an appearance on "The Big Bang Theory" as Jimmy Speckerman, Leonard Hofstadter's (Johnny Galecki) bully in high school. Although Lance's first character wasn't likable — he wasn't apologetic about some of his heinous acts — George Sr. had more charisma as a war veteran-turned-high school coach. George Sr. wasn't educated past high school, but in real life, Barber has more qualifications under his belt.

Barber attended Pennfield High School in Battle Creek, Michigan, from which he graduated in 1991. He then schooled at the nearby Kellogg Community College — the institutions are only 10 minutes apart — and obtained an associate's degree in theater. Barber's education became the foundation he needed to get started on a promising acting career. "It was a rounded education at KCC along with all of the other opportunities in the performing arts that Battle Creek had to offer. That certainly opened the doors for my career path," he recalled in a chat with Battle Creek Enquirer. "Had it not been for that experience, perhaps my path would have been different."

Barber had set his sights on the Kellogg Community College theater program way before he became a student, and he was lucky to be enrolled as the first beneficiary of the Alfred J. Brown (Al Brown) Memorial Scholarship Fund. Years after he left college and made a name for himself in Hollywood, Barber returned to his roots and paid it forward as a speaker during the school's 2021 performing arts gala.

Zoe Perry had the Herculean task of fitting into the shoes of her mom, Laurie Metcalf, when she was cast as Mary Cooper on "Young Sheldon." Metcalf played an older version of Mary on "The Big Bang Theory," and although her character's level of education remained unknown throughout the two sister shows' run, Metcalf herself was a theatre major at Illinois State University. Her daughter, Perry, on the other hand, is an all-round broadcast journalism expert with knowledge across multiple platforms.

Perry first attended Boston University, where she majored in theatre, then she transferred to Northwestern University and studied "radio, TV, and film, with a focus more on theory than production," as she told the Chicago Sun-Times. For Perry, choosing to attend Northwestern University was a way of returning to familiarity since she had spent a good chunk of time in Illinois. She was also eyeing an internship opportunity at the renowned Steppenwolf theatre, as she knew people who worked there.

Even though Perry had prior acting experience — she played a younger version of Jackie Harris (Laurie Metcalf) on "Roseanne" — she only began acting at Northwestern University as a way of socializing. "I transferred [from Boston University] and I didn't know anyone. I had no community," Perry recalled in a chat with Broadway. "I thought I might as well audition, and I was lucky enough to be cast in something."

Annie Potts portrayed Sheldon Cooper's grandmother, Constance Tucker, popularly known as Meemaw on "Young Sheldon." Meemaw was always in support of Sheldon's journey in school, even though her own qualifications remained unknown. In real life, Potts attended Franklin-Simpson High School in Simpson County, Kentucky, from which she graduated in 1970. Potts was part of the cheerleading squad for the Wildcats, the name of the school's athletic teams. In a September 2021 Instagram post, Potts looked back at her teenage years by sharing cute pictures from high school. "From a little while ago," she partly wrote in the caption.

Potts developed a passion for acting when her parents took her to summer camp, which had a drama program, and she went on to attend Stephens College in Missouri. The "Ghostbusters" actor majored in theatre and attained a degree in fine arts. She maintains that her alma mater had the best to offer acting students due to its thorough program. "It was pretty much a conservatory when I was there," Potts recalled in a chat with the SAG-AFTRA Foundation. "It was all very practical. I don't remember actually taking any classes but theatre, which is all I wanted to do anyway." Potts added that she did well in college because she was actually interested in acting, as opposed to her earlier years in school, during which she spent most of her time drawing.

Montana Jordan played the role of Sheldon Cooper's older brother, George Cooper Jr., also known as Georgie on "Young Sheldon." The 1st season of the show introduced Georgie as Sheldon's classmate at Medford High School, and although he eventually dropped out of school to focus on a career as a salesman, Georgie became the successful owner of the Dr. Tire chain.

In real life, Jordan's story could be a mirror of his character's, since there's no known online record of him graduating high school. Jordan attended Ore City Elementary School and Ore City Middle School in Ore City, Texas, both of which were beneficiaries of a STEM education funding program by The Chuck Lorre Family Foundation (Chuck Lorre is famed for creating "The Big Bang Theory"). He reportedly attended Ore City High School and was part of the football team, the Ore City Rebels. Jordan was said to be in his senior year of high school when he met his wife, Jenna Weeks, in 2021, which means he ought to have graduated at the latest by 2022.

Back in April 2021, the actor shared a series of playful clips of himself in a graduation gown at an event that was organized by the "Young Sheldon" cast and crew. "I wanna thank everyone at Young Sheldon for putting this together for me! I appreciate everything y'all do for me!!" he wrote in the caption (via Instagram). At the time of writing, it's unclear whether the celebrations were a tribute to Jordan's actual graduation.

Raegan Revord's character on "Young Sheldon," Missy Cooper, was Sheldon Cooper's fraternal sibling, who was introduced to the audience as an elementary school student. Although Missy's academic trajectory was slower than Sheldon's, she also attended Medford High School. In real life, the cast of "Young Sheldon" has undergone a massive transformation, and for Revord, that includes progress in her academic journey.

Revord's life in school has been a far cry from her character's timeline, since Missy spent six years in high school. The television star graduated high school in 2024 and took to Instagram to share the good news, writing, "Celebrating bc I graduated high school and picked a cover for my book!!" Yes, Revord adds being an author to her long list of accomplishments, and her inaugural title, "Rules for Fake Girlfriends," is set to be published in September 2025.

During an appearance at a FanX comic convention, a fan asked Revord whether she had any plans to attend college or secure more acting gigs. As it turned out, the "Young Sheldon" star had been hard at work since the show came to an end. "I'm actually doing both right now. I'm at UCLA," she shared. "I'm not taking full-time classes there because that may be a bit too crazy. But, I'm taking, like, extension classes there part-time, and I actually get to miss some of my classes because I'm here. Don't tell my professors I said that."

Mayim Bialik's character on "Young Sheldon" and "The Big Bang Theory," Amy Farrah Fowler, was just as educated as her love interest, Sheldon Cooper. Fowler worked as a neuroscientist and held a PhD in neurobiology from Harvard University, and in real life, Bialik is just as smart, with similar academic qualifications. Bialik attended North Hollywood High School in Los Angeles, California, from which she graduated in 1993.

Bialik then earned a bachelor's degree in neuroscience from the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA) in 2000, and seven years later, obtained a PhD from the same institution. Her academic qualifications have come in handy, as she uses her expertise to address mental health on the "Mayim Bialik's Breakdown" podcast. Similarly, her knowledge was integral in landing her the part of Fowler on "The Big Bang Theory."

"You know, when I auditioned for the part [of Fowler] ... on my resumé, under 'miscellaneous,' it says 'PhD, neuroscience,' 'cause I didn't know where else to put it on an acting resumé," Bialik shared on "Conan." "And Bill Prady, our creator [and] executive producer at the audition, said, 'Is this for real?' I said 'Yeah, it kind of is. I have a PhD.' So, when they brought me back for the 4th season, he said they figured why not make her [Fowler] what I am."

Emily Osment played the role of Amanda "Mandy" McAllister on "Young Sheldon," George Cooper Jr.'s love interest and wife who went to college at Texas A&M in San Antonio. McAllister's academic life was different from Osment's, since the latter joins the long list of celebrities who dropped out of college in real life. Osment first attended Flintridge Preparatory School in La Cañada Flintridge, California, and later joined Laurel Springs School during her freshman year of high school.

Osment grew up as a child star on the Disney hit show "Hannah Montana" (although she had a troubled friendship with her co-star, Miley Cyrus). As such, the Laurel Springs School was more accommodating of her acting career and allowed her to have a flexible work schedule. "My high school years were parallel to the show," Osment shared in a chat with Teen Vogue. "I went to a real high school. We would shoot for three weeks, then I would go back to school and try to catch up. It was the busiest I've ever been in my life."

Osment then enrolled at Occidental College in Los Angeles. She took a year-long break to travel, and in a May 2020 post on Instagram, looked back at that period, writing, "Berlin, 2011 after I deferred college for a year to read books and ride trains and wear combat boots and scarves across the globe." Going to a regular institution was awkward for Osment, who would often attract stares from fellow students due to her star status. She eventually called it quits after two years.

Ed Begley Jr. portrayed Dr. Grant Linkletter, a physics professor at East Texas Tech who was Sheldon Cooper's advisor on "Young Sheldon." While Linkletter was an expert in string theory, which later became Cooper's expertise, Begley Jr. wasn't educated past college. Begley Jr. attended Notre Dame High School in Sherman Oaks, California, and later enrolled at Los Angeles Valley College, from which he graduated in 1970.

While he was in school, Begley Jr. was still open to landing acting jobs. Although he earlier thought that he could leverage his parent's star power — his father, Edward Begley Sr., was an actor — to navigate the entertainment business, he quickly found out that it was better to make it on his own. He strived hard to get roles at the college theatre. Ironically, despite his interest in the craft, Begley Jr. studied cinematography in college, with a specialty in camera work.

Begley Jr.'s pursuit of acting led him to cross paths with future legends in entertainment, like "Seinfeld" actor Michael Richards, who was an actor at Valley College at the time. "I was working at a whole other lower level of acting than he was," Begley Jr. told Wisconsin Public Radio of Richards. "One night, he was fooling around in front of a bunch of people, and he summoned me up with him before the group. And I started to work with him in an ad-lib sense, but I didn't have my head on straight. I couldn't keep up with Michael."