False.

Federal law mandates that a child must participate in some form of education until the age of 16. Doesn't matter if it's private, public, or home schooling. Individual states have the right to raise the minimum age requirement for dropping out but cannot lower it.

Yes, False, because, as akeith said, you have to have some kind of education until you are 16. We have been sent to court for missing 7 days of school in a semester without a doctor's excuse, but the got me and another person messed up, still In high school, you have seat time, which you can only miss 5 days unexcused or you dont get credits for the semester. I have been told that you must have a minimum if 145 days at school every year until you are 16, which you are aloud to drop out, but lose diver's liscens's and other important needs/privlages. You would be shunned by society though

Exception- You move to a different school in late november, during finals studying, so I got to wait until January to go back, which was not a problem.

Also, I belive certain religious beleifs can be an exception, but I'll have to get back to you on that.

That's a little harsh. It really depends on the situation at hand. Growing up in rural Kentucky I knew numerous people who left school as soon as they turned 16. Not because they hated school or didn't think education was important. It was mainly due to the fact they needed to work. Many grew up on the family horse farm or raised their own tobacco crop and they needed to help support their families rather than be in school all day. I never really subscribed to this point of view but I understood it. When your family has been on the same farm for 150 years priorities are at home. These people weren't trying to build a resume or go job hunting. They had a job and it was a job they would be doing for the rest of their lives. The things they needed to learn for their occupation were taught to them by their parents.

I'm a huge proponent of education and I think everybody should at least get through high school but I would never shun someone or make them an outcast until I knew the circumstances surrounding them.

I completely understand people leaving school to work the family farm. My wifes family is a farming family so I can see what that might happen.

General society, not rural societies, you drop out of HS, you're treated differently typically.

You're exactly right. Having spent the last decade or so in the Chicago area it's a little different story. Without stereotyping, most of the kids who are leaving school here are doing so for reasons such as laziness, behavioral issues, expulsion, etc. Something tells me they're not leaving school to work the family farm on Lake Shore Drive.

I can't quote the numbers from memory but the Tribune ran an article last year and stated that somewhere around 51% of all freshman in Chicago Public Schools will not graduate in four years. On top of that, only 6% will go on to obtain a bachelor's degree.

I honestly thought "No Child Left Behind" was supposed to fix this problem. What a joke.

I'm imagining rows of corn in Millenium Park...

BRILLIANT!

...or a herd of cattle drinking out of Buckingham Fountain.

if they are decicated enough to the activity then they will be willing to pay a mere $20. And it will help them be prepared for college when they have to buy their own instruments and music books etc etc...

Actually, there are laws in place that say if you are of school age, you must go to school. School age varies from state to state, but it is usually from 6-17 or 5-18. So, sorry to say, it is illegal to not go to school. Compulsory education actually began about sixty years ago.
http://www.enotes.com/everyday-law-encyclopedia/truancy#rational-for-truancy-laws

Yeah, thanks for the post long after I was corrected.

(are we trying to boost our post count?)