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On the first day of summer school Tuesday, Lashawna Cromwell attended class, instead of working to save money for college.

Cromwell and eight other students from the Performance Conservatory School were told they could not graduate just hours before the ceremony. The principal called Cromwell at home.

"All I remember was dropping the phone, running to my mom, crying hysterically, 'Mom, they said I couldn't graduate, they said I couldn't graduate," said Cromwell.

Some, like Cromwell, were missing credits because they were mistakenly placed in classes they had already passed.

Others were informed previous summer school credits did not count.

Cromwell said she was placed in a science class two years in a row, despite having already passed it, and was told by her guidance counselor that it was okay.

While her classmates celebrated, Cromwell was not only unable to speak at the ceremony, but she was not allowed to attend.

Department of Education officials admitted it was the school's mistake, but said there is no way around needing the extra credits.

Cromwell was too humiliated to attend the mayor's annual Valedictorian and Salutatorian Barbecue at Gracie Mansion.

"I feel discouraged, sad, disappointed, a loser. I feel all those things. Like, that's embarrassing," said Cromwell.

Faculty who spoke to NY1 off-camera described Cromwell as a dedicated student and her mother Alison could not agree more.

"They took her dream away, and she worked so hard, very hard, to achieve her dream," Alison Cromwell said.

Performance Conservatory was founded in 2004 as part of the Bloomberg administration's small-school initiative.

The troubled school failed to meet standards and is slated to close. Its principal and guidance counselors are under investigation over the graduation mix-up.

Now this summer, instead of taking a college course and working at a fast food restaurant during the day, Lashawna Cromwell is unable to take the college course and must work in the evenings, after summer school.

However, the student is determined to succeed. She plans to attend the City College of Technology this fall and hopes to one day become a neurosurgeon.

"Because I really love learning," she said.