My 17 year old child, senior in high school, wants to drop out and get their GED.

The kid is super intelligent, got a 36/36 on their ACT and 1520 on their SAT (first and only try). They've got multiple AP courses, which all but 1 they passed with 4 and 5s. Their GPA is pretty high.

They've just had it with school policies, and, I think secretly, AP English Lit is harder than they anticipated, they're sitting at a 25% right now. Where as all their other subjects, such as AP precalc, is at 85% and higher.

I'm not originally from the US, this is my first child through the US educational system, and I have no spouse to talk things over with. So I'm just looking for outside advice here.

The kid says they'll get their GED, and then go to college next year, saying colleges won't mind the GED and just look at the ACT/SAT scores. I'm not so sure. They're not looking to go to any fancy colleges, but a decent in state college.

Will they be severely disadvantaged if they do drop out and get their GED? If it's the English Lit class that's frustrating them, can they "drop down" to an easier English class so they can graduate? I have contacted the school, but they've not gotten back to me, and I'm just looking for some thoughts and feedback.

Thanks!

Edit: after writing this, I thought I'd call a local 4 year college and ask if they accept GEDs on the same level as high school diplomas. At this college, anything over 3.0 GPA = automatic admission. And if they keep their good GPA, they can qualify for up to 50% of the annual tuition in scholarships from the school alone. They can not do that with a GED. I will have a chat with them when they get home from school.

Submitted September 17, 2026 at 11:53AM by StrangeReindeer2470 https://ift.tt/JkS0nOA