The United States begin education programs enforced to improve the next generation in literacy, mathematics, and the sciences. We aren't going to push people through the system if they loving suck at academics; that is obviously what they weren't born for. Therefore, it is not going to be a negative thing to do horrible in high school -- you still get you High School diploma if you realistically use skills (math, sciences, literacy, history, ect) in a two-year program that assists in many non-academic areas such as labor, culinary, the arts, etc. if you 1) choose to do so, or 2) are simply not able to keep up with the rigorous program. This is a very large exception towards those who are only strong in one logical study such as: Math over Science, Science over Literature, ect.
Everyone still has to know basic math, basic sciences, and literature.
This is coined the "You Are Built For Something" reform.
*this is constitutional since by technicality, this is a labor standard, which the federal government controls. all of the states adopted it, anyway, since now it would be necessary to have a High School degree to work in most places, with the exception of other people who 1) are over 16 and already dropped out, and 2) need to aid the family in the family business or to get economical support (this is made by review of a comittee provided by the public school board).