How does a student dropout of high school in New York?

[Jessica Liao]

My friend is 15 years old right now. He turns 16 in July. Can he still dropout with parental consent? Can he still ask the school that he is not returning to school next year even though he is 15 years old currently? I don’t understand how this works. Does he have to be 16 to dropout? If that is the case, then he has to go back to school next year. Please tell me which one is the correct way. And provide a SOURCE! Give me an accurate answer. If you don't know the answer, PLEASE DON'T ANSWER!

[Kaos]

My first bit of advice is don't drop out :-) Life is hard enough without some sort of education completed, believe me. I know people who struggle getting a decent job just because they don't have a college degree, I can't imagine not having a high school diploma.

I tried to research this for you and it is hard to find good information but I did come across this, not sure how updated it is:

Quoting New York Education Code, § 3205. Attendance of minors upon full time day instruction.
1.

* a. In each school district of the state, each minor from six to sixteen years of age shall attend upon full time instruction.

b. Each minor from six to sixteen years of age on an Indian reservation shall attend upon full time day instruction.

c. For purposes of this article, a minor who becomes six years of age on or before the first of December in any school year shall be required to attend upon full time instruction from the first day that the appropriate public schools are in session in September of such school year, and a minor who becomes six years of age after the first of December in any school year shall be required to attend upon full time instruction from the first day of session in the following September; and, except as otherwise provided in subdivision three of this section, shall be required to remain in attendance until the last day of session in the school year in which the minor becomes sixteen years of age.

2. Exceptions.

* a. A minor who has completed a four-year high school course of study shall not be subject to the provisions of part one of this article in respect to required attendance upon instruction.

b. A minor for whom application for a full-time employment ertificate
has been made and who is eligible therefor may, though nemployed, be permitted to attend part time school not less than twenty hours per week instead of full time school.

c. The board of education of the Syracuse city school district is hereby authorized to require minors who are five years of age on or before December first to attend kindergarten instruction. However, the provisions of this paragraph shall not apply to:
[list:26866c225b](i) Minors whose parents elect not to enroll their children in school until the following September.

(ii) Students enrolled in non-public schools or in home instruction.

[/list:u:26866c225b] 3. In each school district, the board of education shall have power to require minors from sixteen to seventeen years of age who are not employed to attend upon full time day instruction until the last day of session in the school year in which the student becomes seventeen years of age.

Truly, if your friend feels they are mature enough to drop out of school, then why not take the mature step, call you school and ask them for yourselves what their policy is? That would be the most reliable answer your going to find for your question.