In Texas, you generally cannot drop out of high school until you turn 19 or graduate, but state law allows a 17-year-old to withdraw legally if a parent consents and the student enrolls in a GED preparation course. A 16-year-old has a much narrower path: leaving school at that age is only permitted through enrollment in Job Corps or on the recommendation of a public agency with court-ordered supervision or custody of the student. Anyone younger than 16 must stay enrolled.
The Baseline: Compulsory Attendance Until 19
Texas requires every child at least six years old to attend school each school day until the child turns 19 or graduates from high school. A child younger than six who has already enrolled in first grade, pre-kindergarten, or kindergarten is also bound by the attendance requirement from the point of enrollment forward.1State of Texas. Texas Education Code Section 25.085 – Compulsory School Attendance
There is no age at which a student can simply walk away. The only way out before 19 or graduation is to fit one of the specific exemptions in Texas Education Code Section 25.086, and each exemption comes with its own conditions.
Dropping Out at 17
Seventeen is the practical age most families are asking about. A 17-year-old can legally leave high school if the student is attending, or enrolling in, a course of instruction to prepare for the high school equivalency exam (the GED), and at least one of the following is also true:
- A parent or guardian consents to the student attending the GED preparation course.
- A court has ordered the student to attend the course.
- The student has established a residence separate from a parent, guardian, or other person having lawful control.
- The student is homeless as defined under state or federal law.
A 17-year-old who has already earned a high school diploma or equivalency certificate is also exempt from further attendance.2State of Texas. Texas Education Code 25.086 – Exemptions
For most families the parental-consent route is the one that applies. The parent agrees, the student signs up for a GED prep program, and the school processes the withdrawal on that basis. The other conditions cover students living independently or involved in the court system.
Dropping Out at 16
Sixteen-year-olds have far fewer options. A 16-year-old may only leave school for GED preparation if a public agency with court-ordered supervision or custody of the child recommends the course. In practice, that limits the exemption to students already involved with the juvenile justice or child welfare systems.2State of Texas. Texas Education Code 25.086 – Exemptions
The other option at 16 is enrolling in a Job Corps training program, the federally funded residential career training program for young people. Outside of these two situations, a 16-year-old cannot legally withdraw from a Texas school.
One additional exemption is worth mentioning because it looks like dropping out but isn’t quite: a 16-year-old enrolled in a high school diploma program under Chapter 18 of the Education Code, which covers alternative diploma programs at community and technical colleges, is exempt from traditional attendance requirements.2State of Texas. Texas Education Code 25.086 – Exemptions The student is still pursuing a diploma, just through a different program.
Filing the Withdrawal With the School
Qualifying for an exemption is only half the process. A parent or guardian must formally notify the school, which usually means going to the campus office and completing a withdrawal form. The form captures basic information about the student and the educational program they are moving into, such as GED prep or Job Corps.
Skipping this step is where families get into trouble. Until the school records an official withdrawal, every missed day counts as an unexcused absence. Enough absences trigger truancy proceedings no matter what the family intended. A parent who pulls a child out verbally without filing the paperwork can end up facing fines months later.
What Happens If a Student Just Stops Attending
Leaving school without meeting a legal exemption sets off Texas’s two-stage truancy response.
Prevention Measures First
When a student accumulates three or more unexcused absences within a four-week period, the school district must begin truancy prevention measures. Those can include parent conferences, counseling, or referrals to community-based programs aimed at getting the student back in class.3State of Texas. Texas Education Code Chapter 25 – Admission, Transfer, and Attendance
Truancy Court
If prevention efforts fail and a student misses 10 or more days without excuse within a six-month period in the same school year, the district must refer the case to truancy court within 10 school days of that 10th absence.3State of Texas. Texas Education Code Chapter 25 – Admission, Transfer, and Attendance
Truancy proceedings are civil, not criminal. A truancy court can order the student to attend school without further unexcused absences, enroll in GED preparation if the student is old enough, participate in counseling or job skills programs, complete up to 50 hours of community service, or lose driving privileges through suspension of an existing license or denial of a new one. The court cannot order the student into a juvenile justice alternative education program, a boot camp, or a for-profit truancy class.4State of Texas. Texas Family Code Section 65.103 – Remedial Order
Fines for Parents
Parents can be charged with Parent Contributing to Nonattendance, a fine-only misdemeanor. The fines escalate with each offense:
- $100 for a first offense
- $200 for a second offense
- $300 for a third offense
- $400 for a fourth offense
- $500 for a fifth or subsequent offense
The truancy charge itself carries no jail time for parents. A parent who ignores a court order tied to attendance, however, can face contempt penalties that may include jail.3State of Texas. Texas Education Code Chapter 25 – Admission, Transfer, and Attendance
Benefits That May Be Affected
A child receiving Social Security survivor benefits based on a deceased parent’s record normally loses those benefits at 18, but the benefits can continue until 19, or until graduation if earlier, when the child is a full-time student at an elementary or secondary school. Dropping out ends that extension. Survivor benefits can reach up to 75% of the deceased parent’s basic Social Security benefit, so the lost year is not a small number.5Social Security Administration. Benefits for Children
Two other worries turn out to be non-issues. Under the Affordable Care Act, a child can stay on a parent’s health insurance plan until age 26 regardless of student status.6Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services. Young Adults and the Affordable Care Act And the Child Tax Credit is based on the child’s age being under 17, not on school enrollment, so dropping out does not affect a parent’s ability to claim it.7Internal Revenue Service. Child Tax Credit
What Comes After Leaving School
The GED
The GED is Texas’s recognized high school equivalency credential, covering math, science, social studies, and language arts. Testing at a center costs $36.25 per subject, or $145 for all four. Online testing runs $42.25 per subject, or $169 total. Texas also offers a subsidy program that covers testing fees for eligible individuals aged 21 and older while funding lasts.8GED Testing Service. Texas GED Testing Policies
Free GED preparation classes are available across the state through adult education and literacy programs funded by the Texas Workforce Commission, along with courses run by community colleges, public libraries, and nonprofits. A GED qualifies the holder for federal financial aid, including Pell Grants and federal student loans, on the same basis as a traditional diploma.9Federal Student Aid. Eligibility Requirements Most employers and colleges accept it as equivalent to a high school diploma.
Work
Federal law does not cap the number of hours a 16- or 17-year-old can work in non-hazardous jobs, whether or not the teen is in school. Workers under 18 are still barred from 17 categories of hazardous occupations, including operating heavy machinery, roofing, mining, demolition, and driving commercial vehicles, with limited exceptions for 17-year-olds doing light driving under restricted conditions.10U.S. Department of Labor. Fact Sheet 43 – Child Labor Provisions of the FLSA for Nonagricultural Occupations Texas may add state-level restrictions, so checking with the Texas Workforce Commission before committing to a work schedule is worthwhile.
Military
The Department of Defense classifies diploma holders as Tier 1 and GED holders as Tier 2. Federal policy requires at least 90% of recruits to come from Tier 1, so each branch limits how many GED holders it accepts. The Army typically allows up to 10% of recruits from Tier 2; the Air Force accepts less than 1%. GED holders also generally need higher scores on the Armed Services Vocational Aptitude Battery. A GED does not disqualify someone from military service, but it makes getting in meaningfully harder.
Federal Workforce Programs
Out-of-school youth between 16 and 24 may qualify for job training and placement services under the federal Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act. Eligibility depends on meeting at least one additional criterion, such as being a school dropout, being homeless, having a disability, being pregnant or parenting, or being a low-income individual who needs help entering an educational program or finding employment.11eCFR. Title 20 Part 681 Subpart B – Eligibility for Youth Services Local workforce boards administer these programs and provide career counseling, occupational skills training, on-the-job training, and help earning industry-recognized credentials. For a teen leaving school without a clear next step, connecting with the local workforce board early is one of the more practical moves available.