Is it possible to drop out of high school and re-enroll a few months later?

Have you talked to a guidanace counselor at your school about these issues? Being droopy, having low energy and finding yourself uninterested in things that you used to enjoy are classic signs of depression.

Depression is treatable.

Find out also about the GED requirements in your state (and school district)

These are tests you take in five subjects, which, if you pass, will give you a high school equivalent diploma.

There may be the option of taking some equivalent courses at a local community college, but you might find them dull as well.

Can you make it to winter vacation? That will give you a half-year of high school completed successfully, I think. Gather accurate info from your guidance office.

I do not have any answers for your main question because I do not know of other options. But it sounds like you might be depressed. I had a very hard time going through the motions of high school as well because of major depression that went undiagnosed for years. Would you feel comfortable telling your parents about how you feel (even if you can’t or won’t explain why) and asking them if they can find a psychologist for you?

PS. I don’t know whether there is a home schooling group in your community, but that might be a possibility also.

I agree with talking to a guidance counselor. See what you can do to catch up. If you can’t catch up this semester, I think there is a good chance you can double up on required courses next term (which might mean repeating a few courses from this term) and still graduate. Most people graduate with many more credts than they need. Almost all schools require 4 years of English, so you might have to double on English, but many school districts require less than 4 years of science, math, and other required studies, so it may not be a huge deal. You would want to find out if withdrawing in the beginning of the year affected your GPA, or if it is just noted on your transcript that you withdrew.

I recommend you go to your doctor and have some basic bloo dtests that check sugar and especially thyroid, rule out any physiological underlying cause that would make you lethargic, unmotivated or depressed. Literally underactive thyroid can make people depressed. Maybe also talk to a counselor to dig up some other reasons you might be depressed. Depression is very common in teens, you are not alone. Many times it stems from loneliness, but there can be many reasons. If you seem to be affected by shorter hours of sunlight and live where it is very grey, consider a sun lamp that treats people for Seasonal Affective Disorder, and you can also check your vitamin D level with those blood tests, but I have no heard of vitamin D directly affecting mood, but since sunlight does, maybe there is a connection?

If the school will work with you just force yourself to conform, do what you need to do and get through it if you can. You might feel miserable physically and mentally exhausted, but I think it is worth it. However, seeng the light at the end of the tunnel and having taken hold of what you want to do might inspire you to work harder. I doubled up the beginning of my senior year, I wanted to leave school early, and it was the best term I had in high school. It was my hardest term, I took an AP science course, two English classes, but I also was able to help a teacher my first period who did not care if I was late, and I could sleep an extra hour in the morning which help greatly. I had never been a morning person, I probably had some mild depression at that point, and arriving to school 15 minutes late meant much more sleep because of rush hour patterns. So, I was not even taking a class for credit that first period and I still had plenty of credits midyear my senior year. I knew I just had to get through a few more mo ths and I was done, so that was very motivating to be very focused. I wish I had worked more closely with advisors and teachers planning my schedule though.

Another motivator for your school is they probably get money based on how many students are enrolled, so if you come back they get more money.

The other option is a GED of course.

If you don’t care about graduating with your class, sometimes you can just drop out and go to a community college. Maybe you can even catch the spring 2013 semester. You’re 18, so I don’t think there should be a barrier to this, but check on that because it may depend on your state. The upside is you get a leg up on college. A high school degree doesn’t really mean very much once you have a BA, so if that’s the route you’re going maybe that can work for you. The credits at the community college should transfer to a state school almost completely, and to other schools more or less completely (especially if you plan and pick classes carefully).

If you care about graduating with your class (and you say you do), you probably need to stay and finish at this point. Maybe the high school lets you transfer college credits back to the high school (mine did), but this is probably situational.

And, definitely, seek out therapy for the depression.

You’ve gotten great advice thus far.

All I have to offer in addition is that sometimes you need to complete something just to complete it. Not because you want to. Not because everyone else is. Not because you enjoy it. Just because you’ve been going to school for 12+ years and you’re so close.

Please understand that I’ve been depressed. I am doing quite well these days, but I still have to drag myself out of bed to go to work in the morning. I just don’t find it satisfying any more. But I go. I’m not always on time, but I go. And when I finish my thesis and get my master’s degree I’ll apply for something more interesting/challenging. But for now, I just have to get up every day and go to work.

You deserve the pride of accomplishment. You’re so close.

Please talk to people… your guidance counselor, school counselor, teachers, parents, physician. They are all there to support you.

Let us know what happens.

Forgive me for asking, @confusedblueeyes, but is there anything like weed in this picture?

Do you have any close friends?

With your mindset I have trouble imagining you’d go back after dropping out. I’m not trying to insult you, just saying that motivating to go back once you’ve taken a break can be really hard, and if you’re already having problems with motivation, it might not happen. So consider that possibility before you make any big decisions.

I would strongly advise you to suck it up and stay with it. It will be much harder to come back and finish after having left than to just do the few months you have remaining. The point is to keep your options open. You can do anything you want afterward, but if you quit and don’t return, you will limit your future in ways you can’t imagine yet.

You can totally do it! It’s just a few months.