From another perspective, I am a current high school student trying to decide on a future path. While I also think high school is a waste of time that I don't learn much from, I'm not sure that the other options are actually better, at least for my personal goal of attending selective colleges after high school.
I will become eligible for a dual-enrollment program at local community colleges soon, where students get a 2-year associate degree and high school diploma at the same time. This includes the option to take classes at the college full-time, effectively never actually attending the high school. However, from what I've seen, choosing this path instead of AP courses reflects negatively on the student when applying to selective colleges. It seems best suited for completing a 4-year degree at an in-state university after high school. While this minimizes the time spent in education, I'm not sure it's the best option if my goal is to get the best possible education (i.e. including post-secondary). It also poses a logistical challenge due to lack of transportation to and from the college.
On the other hand, the practice of staying in high school and taking as many AP classes as possible does little for the social environment at the school. It helps appease college admissions officers, but it's not an ideal solution either.
I will become eligible for a dual-enrollment program at local community colleges soon, where students get a 2-year associate degree and high school diploma at the same time. This includes the option to take classes at the college full-time, effectively never actually attending the high school. However, from what I've seen, choosing this path instead of AP courses reflects negatively on the student when applying to selective colleges. It seems best suited for completing a 4-year degree at an in-state university after high school. While this minimizes the time spent in education, I'm not sure it's the best option if my goal is to get the best possible education (i.e. including post-secondary). It also poses a logistical challenge due to lack of transportation to and from the college.
On the other hand, the practice of staying in high school and taking as many AP classes as possible does little for the social environment at the school. It helps appease college admissions officers, but it's not an ideal solution either.