Another option, one I wished I had done, is to just drop out and go directly to community college. A high school diploma is not required for that (at least here in Cal) and once you've done the GE classes at the JC, you can transfer as a junior to a university. An architect friend did this and skipped two worthless years at high school and got his masters two years earlier.

He went to the same worthless high school I did, which was really worthless. My public schooling was so bad that I sent my kids to private school until the economy dictated that I not do that any more. Thankfully, the public schools here in Fullerton are pretty good. My kids are, unfortunately, learning the laziness that it seems public schools are good at teaching...