About 20 minutes after you graduate, you're going to give zero fucks about high school. Don't drop out. You'll regret that in a couple years. You can't even go flip burgers any more without a diploma or GED. Anyway, you seem to be leaning in that direction, but you need to commit before the school year starts.

I can't really help you with doing good in high school. I was one of the kids that was bored to tears because the material is basically all the same every year. My best advice is to take notes and study. I've had to start doing that in college or I find myself falling behind very quickly. Don't worry about if someone starts messing with you for trying hard. You'll see them digging ditches in 15 years, if you ever see them again at all. Like War said, ask for help if you need it. Be friends with the nerdy kids, be kind to your teachers. Show them that you're putting forth your best effort and they will help you. If, for whatever reason, your teacher is a dickbag, head down to the head office and ask for some tutoring. Someone will help you. People are there to help you to succeed, but you have to seek them out. Good luck, man.

In high school at least when I was in it people seemed to make it a contest to prove who did less work. If you want to succeed give it your all regardless of what others say. Make clear goals, and go after them. Ultimately it comes down to your attitude towards the whole thing.

Some practical advice:

-What I would say the best advice is ask for help from students, or teachers.

-If you don't understand something in class, ask for help. If you can't get it answered in class set up tutoring if the school provides it.

-Cut out a bit of time to do school work, but also study material that was gone over in class.

It may not be easy, but if you want it you have to put in work.

Just for fun :

Some real advice : if you get the option, sit in the front of the class. Helps a lot, I found. If you find yourself falling behind, ask for help, early, before it overwhelms you. Do all the work; if the class is really challenging, do the work before it's due, show it to the instructor, and ask if it's what they are looking for.

I was lucky enough to be born smart enough that I never had to really put any effort into learning. But on the downside, that means I never learned how to put effort into learning.

That said, I've noticed that the biggest difference between me and my classmates was simply the way of looking at problems.

Don't choose classes based on what you find easy or fun. Take them based on what will be useful, even if only peripherally. Knowing about some things will make it easier to do related things - for example, I took a CAD class even though I knew I was going for a CS degree.

It is not important to finish all your homework. It is important to be able to prove, at any moment, that you could complete the homework. It's better to spend that time learning the material, or related material. Do not take this as an opportunity to just be lazy and do other stuff, it is very easy to not learn anything in that case. As a self-check, do a random sampling of each homework assignment's problems (not the first ones, since they are usually the easiest - in particular aim to do either the hardest or second-hardest).

Remember that teachers are not always in it to teach you accurate information, sometimes they're in it because they love to be unquestioned. As someone who was smarter than most (if not all) of my teachers and could pick out their lies, this was a problem for me. I'm not sure what I would have done differently, but it is really important to recognize that not everything you're taught is actually true.

If you have friends that are dropping out of school, drop those friends. Any friends you have now you'll rarely talk to again after high school. And the high school social environment is very harmful. Don't get involved - you'll never see these people again for the rest of your life. Don't go to parties, and especially don't go to bed after 10 PM or so. Sleep is how the brain stores knowledge.

It is okay to have hobbies that interfere with your study time, but only if those hobbies produce something, rather than consume. Nobody cares if you can name all 151 pokemon or do the jump on Rainbow Road. They do care, if but for a moment, if you're good at basketball, or if you can do something artistic, or write computer code like I do. Having a hobby that produces something is a great way of managing procrastination.

My grades were very medicocre. I went to grade 14. In Canada back then high school ended in grade 13 for those headed to university but I stayed an extra year because my father was sick and I did not want to leave my home town. Plus I slacked off and my grades sucked.

Despite what you think during your teens, high school does not define you. Please do not drop out.

Education is important even if at times it seems stupid. I was very lucky to get into college and then went to a very good law school and then did a graduate degree in law, After smoking an ounce of weed a day and chasing tail all day in high school that was pretty decent. But I put a plan into place and that is what made it happen.

Don't give up. Slow but steady wins the race. Just show up every day, put in a bit of work every day, plan in advance on how you are going to get to where you want to go, and stick to that plan. It is not all about excelling, it is about having a plan and consistently sticking to it. It is honestly is just like the rabbit and the hare story.

I wish you the best of luck!

I'm very sorry about your living situation anxiety, needing to feel safe. I can identify, I feel for you, and I hope it works out for you.

High school seems SO incredibly important when you're deep in it. Like your entire life hinges on what grades you get, that it decides your entire future... It generally doesn't. A lot of what you learn in high school is outdated, wrong, or of no use (not all--some). I can't think of a single person I've met in my decades+ adult life that cared whatsoever what grades I got in high school--lovers, friends, employers, and so forth. Any skills I've needed in my adult life, I've learned as an adult.

If for some reason you can't graduate high school, or do badly, you can always get a GED, take night classes and the like. There are well-known textbook cases of people who never did well in school (ADHD, dyslexia, et al) but turned it around as adults. A good coping mechanism as an adult for having done badly in high school: read, take classes, learn skills, get certificates, take noncredit courses. And keep a record of your accomplishments in this regard--it will come in very handy as you grow older, and this is the kind of stuff that impresses employers, helps you move forward in life. Don't focus on grades and degrees--what's more important are the experiences you have, the stories you can tell, opportunities to expand your mind, have adventures. And I don't know a single adult who's ever stayed at one job, or the same career--it changes a lot when you're an adult, you grow, you develop, you expand, you go in new directions, and this continues for decades.

To answer your titled question: Academically, I did extremely well in school, gifted programs, advanced placement, bored out of my mind, everything came so easy I never had to try. Socially, however, I had a horrible, horrible time.

Also, keep in mind that there are multiple kinds of intelligences: you may not be book smart, per se, but you may be gifted at other intelligences: social, emotional, diplomacy, creative, detailed, and so forth. Learn about the different kinds of intelligences, how different brains work, and try to figure out the best way you learn things. Some learn well reading books, others have to take classes, others listen to audio books, others do well hands on, etc. You can't judge a fish by its ability to climb a tree. You have gifts, and things you struggle with, just like every other human on this planet. It's just a matter of finding the kind of environment you work best in. Which is done thru experience, experiments, trial and error, learning as you go.

Sleep and have fun.

Seriously - as far as I can see, the leading two reasons for a student, barring personal/domestic/psychological/developmental issues, to not do good in high school is because they don't sleep enough and they stress too much.

So instead of staying up overnight to study, go over your notes then go to sleep. Instead of studying your notes one more time "just in case", go take a relaxing bath and clear your mind. Your subconscious, passive memory is better at remembering things than your active memory. And it'll stick to you longer.

Of course, if there's any other issues, fix them. Is your mom stressing you out? Talk to her in earnest and negotiate some calm. Go see a doctor if you have physical or psychological troubles. Uninstall that fucking game if you get mad at it.

Also, stay away from substances - marijuana, alcohol (and I hope for your sake that's all I should have to suspect...). If you're prescribed Aderall/Ritalin/Concerta, keep at your prescription - don't forget it, and don't take more. Even coffee - it robs you of sleep without the benefits of it.

And, of course, pay attention to class - no, not even. Be ACTIVELY present in your classes. Ask questions. If you feel you don't understand something, ask for extra exercises.

With all of these, you should have less problem passing. But don't give up. You WILL go to college if you will it.

First off, dropping out when you have another choice is, in my eyes, a very bad idea. A high school diploma will take you one more year, and will benefit you for the rest of your life.

The most important thing is attitude: Believe in yourself. Believe that you can do this. Because if you don't, you'll just start undermining yourself after a setback. And you will have setbacks. Everyone does. The first step is caring about school.

The next most important thing is taking time to work on school work. You're behind, you will have to catch up. But if you invest work into that, that's achievable! If you have friends that are good in a subject, definitely ask them if they can tutor you - that'S a really good war for both of you to get better, and is much more fun than doing everything by yourself. On a more general note: Be aware how your group of friends influences your behaviour. They might start pushing you to do less work and take school less seriously - don't listen to them. Keep in mind what your goals are, and what's really important (which, cliché as it might sounds, is your education).

Another important factor is perseverance: don't give up, especially when it's hard. The harder a problem is, the more fun it is to solve! After a time you will notice that you will have an easier time at this, but the beginning is not so fun.

Never be afraid of asking questions. Yes, sometimes they will be stupid and sometimes you might get laughed at - that's okay. It's still better than not understanding something. Or if you are afraid of people's reaction, ask the teacher after the lesson. Also try to participate in the lessons - it's much easier to be immersed in the subject if you take an active interest.

Think about why you failed your classes, before. Can you tell us a bit about that?

Everything War said is correct.

If you need help, ask.

It's not a contest even though a lot of kids will make it seem like it is. Education is all about the effort you put forth.

Please don't drop out if you don't have to. You are better off having a HS diploma then not having one. Work on study habits, maybe start asking friends to study with you.