<p>When I was in HS in NYC the 70’s, my mom suggested I leave my Catholic School, and go to a huge public school because of their vocational offerings. Speficially, I graduated with a CNA and some AP’s. I suppose any student vcould have done it, but it met with some resitance, and it was apparently quite unusual to be taking both vocational and AP classes. My mom knew it was possible because she taught the same program in another school. It was intersting to move between those two settings. Not sure how many other NYC publics had that option, or have it now, but my old school shut it’s doors this year because they couldn’t get the graduation rate up to 50 percent, and it was considered “persistantly dnagerous”. That CNA work was backbreaking, especially for a teenager, but it sure paid well.</p>