Education

Kids to take care of, either their own or younger siblings if their parents are absent or unable to be caretakers. Sometimes they're living on their own at that age and need to support themselves.

Sometimes they are in situations at school where they are the victim of bullying and staying in school might be driving them to depression or suicide.

Sometimes they have social anxiety that's not the fault of other people, and just can't handle the environment.

Sometimes high school is too easy for them and is just training them to hate school, training them how to hate learning. It can be a few years of an intellectual wasteland.

I dropped out of high school after 10th grade at age 16. I finished my masters a few years ago but I still don't have a GED or high school diploma.