I am sure that it depends on the circumstances of the individual, but there are people that leave high school, obtain their GED and follow through with either college or trades of some sort. Everyone's situation is individualistic. It is difficult to find accurate statistics on this topic as most schools do not count people that obtain their GED's as dropouts which is an extra added 8% onto the dropout rate, as the national rate is already up to 30%, and adding the 8% would be almost 40%. The public school systems can be both lax and negligent, and somewhat to blame for the high rate of dropouts. There are many issues that come into play with this. If someone drops out of high school, and obtains their GED, it does not mean that they plan on doing nothing with their lives, even if they go to college later on in their lives. There are plenty of trade and vocational schools as well as several certificate programs. Options are endless and the choices are indivualistic. High school is not the end of one's life, for it is only the beginning. It is one's own choice where they must go from there regardless of the graduation terms at the time. Education is important and public school systems need improvement. Parenting is a whole different topic on this matter. Teenagers crave encouragement and direction. Many people that age do not know what they want to do with their lives. Sometimes it takes a while to figure out which direction you wish to turn. Simply getting a high school diploma does not make you automatically successful or unsuccessful either way. It is what you make of your life after that which counts most of all.