Homeschool parents lie to their 15-year-old, telling her that public school costs money and is too expensive for them: 'I dropped out of school in the 3rd grade.'

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Emmy Pratt • Senior Editor
Aug 12, 2026 8:30 PM EDT

Some parents just don't care about their children getting a good education. 

In some countries, the point of a high school education is not to ensure everyone gets the same basic knowledge, but to separate the academically inclined from the not-so-academically inclined and put both groups on paths better suited to their strengths and weaknesses. In a system like this, students who were not as suited to academics might attend vocational schools to train for work, while the academic kids would go on to higher institutions of learning. 

That's all well and good if you live in a country where a high school diploma is not required for most jobs, but that is not the case in the United States. While some might argue that a high school diploma doesn't inherently mean that you're qualified for any number of jobs, it does show that you can show up to the same place every day for four years and complete a long-term goal, and that's a quality hiring managers desire in their employees. If someone quits high school at age 15, there's a good chance that they will leave a job as soon as the going gets tough. 

The child in this story wants to learn. She has an innate desire to be educated so that she can thrive as an adult, but her parents have made it extremely difficult for her to do that. They lied to her, telling her they couldn't afford public school, and because she's a kid who doesn't know any better, she believed them. 

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  • Cheezburger Image 10655727104
    via Curated Lifestyle (Unsplash+)

    A homeschooled teenage girl who wants a better education. 

    Image for illustrative purposes.

  • I'm 15 and severely uneducated due to my life situation. Are there any YouTube channel playlist that basically acts as an entire 6th grade curriculum?

    Dropped out due to 2020 in the 3rd grade. Started taking online. courses the following 5 years periodically through the 4th and 5th grades. But it didn't add up at all officially.
    via u/Livid_Adeptness9762

  • Unless she has dropped out of school to work full-time, there is no reason why a family being broke should prevent their kids from going to public school.

    Now they haven't home schooled me for a year and can't get me back to public school because we are broke.
    via u/Livid_Adeptness9762
  • I wanna pick up from the 6th grade and work my way up to the 12th grade in about 3 years.
    via u/Livid_Adeptness9762
  • I want basically a full curriculum for the 6th grade right now, but playlists for all the following grades as well would be a major blessing.
    via u/Livid_Adeptness9762
  • The playlist can feature multiple channels. It must cover ALL subjects, not just Math. It can be a playlist you made yourself or one made by someone else.
    via u/Livid_Adeptness9762

  • Kids who don't get the education they deserve beat themselves up about being "dumb," even though it's their parents who should be feeling guilty about their lack of education.

    Even though it won't be in an official capacity, i want to at least not be a dumba when i get thrown out into the real world. Thank you.
    via u/Livid_Adeptness9762
  • Edit: Turns out, it wasn't about money, it was about me supposedly not being able to choose my own grade. Which is bulls and i'm sure is not true.
    via u/Livid_Adeptness9762
  • pizzbabynancy Public school should be free, did your parents tell you it cost money?
    via u/pizzbabynancy

  • They lied to her so she would stop asking to go back to school. Talk about Mother of the Year!

    Livid Adeptness9762 OP I'm so angry right now. They to me! I'm gonna have a talk with Mom later today when she gets out of work. lied
    via u/Livid_Adeptness9762
  • asdgrhm PTA Mom here. Many states have free or reduced price breakfast and lunch. The school should have a social worker who can help you with the form. If not, ask at the front office. I can't speak for all PTAs, but we stock a room of clothing, school supplies, and hygiene supplies for kids. Even if they don't have that, they often have emergency grants or funding to help kids in a tough spot.
    via u/asdgrhm

  • This kid is taking initiative and trying her best to find educational resources, which is better than her parents have done. She will succeed in life.

    AwkwardlyAmpora i don't have much advice, but op, i do want to say that the fact you're seeking this out yourself is showing you absolutely have the ability to make a good life for yourself. many people in your position wouldn't even consider this. your parents lying about public school costing money (?????) is genuinely deranged, and so i wish you the best of luck in educating yourself and getting out on your own someday.
    via u/AwkwardlyAmpora

  • Being 15 in a 6th grade classroom is no fun.

    pizzbabynancy I just read your edit, I would recommend going into the grade that fits your age. They will put you in some remedial classes, but this will be for the best in the long run (in my opinion).
    via u/pizzbabynancy
  • bendybiznatch And read and study. It'll take work but you can catch up for sure.
    via u/bendybiznatch
  • HopeGlad3380 Have you checked out Khan Academy?
    via u/HopeGlad3380
  • Livid Adeptness9762 OP Yes. But i'm not aiming for school lite anymore. This shis serious. Apparently school was free and i didn't know. So my parents lied to me for no reason!
    via u/Livid_Adeptness9762
  • pizzbabynancy Lunch and afterschool activities can cost money. But your family could maybe qualify for free lunch
    via u/pizzbabynancy
  • AiYukira professor dave explains has hundreds of tutorials on math, science, history, linguistics, everything and every single video is filled with people saying it's the greatest thing ever and kahn academy is very outdated and not the best
    via u/AiYukira

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school teaching middle school bad parenting public school lunch homeschooling homeschool high school elementary money parents entitled people
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