I am currently in college prep school and recently I’ve been struggling to keep up due to health problems. I miss school at least one day a week and although the counselors there are understanding, the teachers are not, and the administrators are not willing to make adjustments for my situation. I hate it more and more each day I’m there. My district has a policy that students can only attend the school closest to their home unless they apply to other schools for open enrollment, which I did. Unfortunately, all the schools within a reasonable distance were full, and my “home school” is the worst school in the district (which happens to be one of the worst districts in the state). So basically my only options are 1) stay at the college prep school, suffer, and probably get terrible grades 2) go to the terrible school near my house and 3) go broke paying for private school. However, I’ve heard things about high school dropouts enrolling in community college and still getting a 4 year degree and a good job. I was supposed to take mostly college level classes next year so I think I’m intellectually ready, and the flexibility and low cost would help me. I’m 16 so as long as I get parent permission I can legally drop out, but is not having a high school diploma going to hurt me later in life?
bump
Check the requirements to earn college credit at your community college. My guess is that you need a high school diploma or GED.
Yes, you probably need a GED. If you can possibly stick to your school and get through, that’s probably the best option. Just get it over with. GED is not quite the same as a HS diploma. Not all colleges accept GED but all colleges accept some form of HS diploma, even if you did poorly on some of your classes.
To my mind, even if you need extra time or extra help graduating from HS, that’s your best approach. Then you can enter community college and raise your grades, and then transfer to a solid- to-good four-year college.
Look at “virtual” or online schooling.
Home school, using the community college classes for your HS degree?
@dustyfeathers my school doesn’t allow students to complete a diploma in over 4 years and they don’t allow summer classes either. They will kick you out if you have bad grades or end up needing extra time for whatever reason.
@labegg I was thinking of that too, but my parents want me at a brick and mortar school
@annana if that’s the case (that they require that you’re done in 4 years) it sounds like you’re not at your local zoned high school, but some other school, charter or private or something. That means your local zoned high school would probably allow you to transfer in and finish there. In some cities I know that all schools are chosen by lottery or by application (or nearly all) (I’m thinking San Fran and NYC and there may be others) but usually the DOE allows students with issues such as yours to complete either in their local zoned school or in one that’s set aside for older students. Check with your local Department of Education to find out your public options. There may be some options that you weren’t aware of.
@dustyfeathers yeah, my school isn’t public (it’s district funded, but you have to be accepted to go). It’s a complicated situation. My district doesn’t require a lottery for your local zoned school, but unfortunately the one I live near is one of the worst schools in the state so my parents and I would definitely do anything else before go there.
@bhmomma I looked into it more and it looks like your suggestion is probably the best option. Are you saying that classes at CC could potentially count towards a high school diploma and an associate’s degree?
@annana. Yes cc classes could be used for homeschoolers. There are also online curriculum for homeschoolers. Your parents need to agree and support this as it requires time and effort to apply and document. Some school districts or states are more in tune with approving home school plans and supporting the efforts.
If there is an active homeschool group in your area that would be a good place to start. Start googling your area and homeschool.
BY THE WAY, there is a home schooling forum here you may want to scan or post there if you want more specific recommendations.
Take it up with the disability services and/or local news to seek reasonable accommodations for documented health problems. If a high school flunked a kid with, say, cancer, they’d be shamed. If you’re in the hospital a few days a week, no school can flunk solely on those grounds. You could take a medical leave of absence a semester, get your health improved, then go back to school the next semester.
If you can’t attend school 5 hours a day, you need to focus on your health right now-- you wouldn’t be able to get a “good job” that has a 5 day a week work week anyway. So, community college or even the “worst” high school in your district isn’t that problematic because it’s not well-ranked if you don’t have the health to attend school or work full-time regardless. Focus on your health-- resolve that first before thinking 4 year colleges.
Why would your health improve if you transfer to another local high school?
Get proper doctor’s notes and talk to the district board office, PTA, and if all else fails- the local news to get the required medical leave. Every school district has to allow reasonable medical leave for severe health issues.
Can you imagine the news headlines if a teen with cancer was flunked/expelled for asking for one semester off medical leave? Not gonna happen. You can get medical leave of absence at any school with proper doctors notes in any state in the USA. Been there, done that. No school district can deny medical leave of absences for documented severe cases.
Make reasonable requests to the superintendent’s office and board of education- whether it’s to take a semester off for medical leave and return the next semester, or a week off for medical leave, or the minimum needed to go to doctor’s appointments during the school day to get your health to a functional level. No school district can deny medical leave.
There’s also GEDs and online high school.
Some online high schools are free in some states.
The GED actually might be your best/cheapest bet if you can’t attend school 5 days a week due to health.
Study for the GED, pass the GED, then take a year or few years off from doing anything and get your health to a functional level so you can attend school/work full-time in the future.
After the GED, you could take a few online community college classes and ease into college while figuring out your health.
Good luck.
Since being sick one day a week is making it difficult to be successful at school, I would discuss the online school option again with your parents. Your state department of education website will have more information. If you go the dual enrollment route at the CC, make sure you will be ready to get decent grades there.
Homeschooling with virtual school and community college classes sounds like the best path forward.