My Daughter Dropped Out of High School at 16 and It Was the Right Move

Portland: So, my daughter dropped a bombshell on me one day. She was just 16 and decided she was done with high school. I didn’t push back. Instead, I let her take this brave step into adulthood.

She told me, “My high school’s full of drugs and drinking. I don’t want to get into trouble.” That made sense to me. A week before her junior year, she walked in with a huge smile and said she emailed her principal to say she wouldn’t be coming back.

I tried to keep my cool, but inside, I was a bit worried. I asked her what her plan was, and she said she wanted to go to community college to study marine biology. I thought that was a solid idea, but my mind was racing with questions.

You see, my daughter has always had a tough time in traditional classrooms. She has ADD and has struggled since kindergarten. We’ve tried everything—public schools, charter schools, even homeschooling. But dropping out was a new one for me.

She defended her choice again, saying she didn’t want to be around the bad influences at her school. I was concerned about the legality of it all. I kept asking her advisor if it was okay, worried someone might come after her. But the advisor reassured me it was all legal.

We learned that she could take the right courses and get her GED, which is like a high school diploma. I did some digging and found out that community college could be a great way for her to explore her interests without breaking the bank.

So, we worked out a plan for her to earn an Associate’s degree while taking her GED. At first, she needed a bit of help navigating her new college life. I was there to help her find classes and understand her syllabi, which was a bit of a challenge but doable thanks to my flexible job.

I won’t lie; I felt a bit sad. I loved my high school experience, and it hurt that she didn’t feel the same way. But I realized that everyone learns differently.

Despite my worries, I gave her the freedom to make this leap. She passed her GED and is now set to transfer to the University of Oregon as a junior.

Now, she wakes up at 9 a.m., goes to classes that excite her, and even has a social life. She’s become this independent, happy young woman, and I couldn’t be prouder.