Six Rich and Famous Celebrities Who Never Completed High School

Here are six celebrities who achieved fame and fortune without finishing high school.

Few can deny the importance of education to success in life. There are exceptions to this rule, particularly in the celebrity world where some celebrities have managed to achieve great success and wealth without the benefits of an education. Sometimes the desire for the spotlight can override an aspiring celebrities desire to finish school. Do you recognize these well known celebrity high school drop outs?

  1. Paris Hilton



    Although some might question her level of talent, Paris has managed to achieve a sort of celebrity fame of her own. (some would say infamy). She reportedly dropped out of the upscale Manhattan high school she attended during her junior year, although she did go on to earn her GED. Could this explain the spelling mistakes seen on her confiscated emails?
  2. Avril Lavigne



    Few will deny the musical talent of the young Avril Lavigne. She is reported to have dropped out of Napanee District High School, in Ontario, Canada she was in the 11th grade after receiving a recording contract. When she was interviewed on the Barbara Walters show and questioned about school, she proudly announced to the audience that she had dropped out of high school. When Barbara Walters suggested she could still go back, she replied, "Um, yeah no that's okay." To her credit, she did earn her GED.
  3. Jessica Simpson



    During her years in high school, she was nominated as homecoming queen two years in a row and was an active cheerleader. Despite her high school successes, Jessica Simpson reportedly dropped out of J.J. Pearce High School in 1997 to further her musical career. She also went on to earn her GED. Are the rather naive statements we frequently hear out of her mouth a part of the act or is her lack of education being revealed?
  4. Hilary Swank



    Hilary Swank, who played a teacher in the movie "Freedom Writers", was a high school dropout. When she was asked why she chose to drop out of school, she was quick to reply that she didn't like the rules and the fact she was often cited for "talking excessively" on her report cards. She did emphasize her belief in the importance of education and claims she would encourage kids to stay in school. Despite her lack of formal education, Hillary was able to achieve the status of Academy Award winning actress.
  5. Britney Spears



    Britney Spears is another example of a singer who dropped out of high school to pursue a musical career. She reportedly attended Kentwood High school in Louisiana before dropping out to make it big in the musical world. It's unclear as to whether she ultimately earned a GED. Could she have avoided some of her poor lifestyle choices had she continued to pursue her education?
  6. Lindsey Lohan



    Renowned for her chaotic childhood, it should come as no surprise that Lindsey dropped out of Calhoun High School on Long Island while still in the eleventh grade. Why did she leave high school before graduation? A direct quote from the celebrity might best express her motivation: "Life is full of risks anyway, why not take them?" She's obviously taken a few risks in her own life.

Education certainly makes success in life a higher probability, but these celebrities have proven by sheer will, talent, and luck that you education isn't an absolute prerequisite for fortune and fame. Will these celebrities regret their decision not to complete their education later in life? Only time will tell.

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Comments (23)
#1 by francie
Sep 21, 2007
Great article! No surprises...that's entertainment!

Sometimes life's lessons learned well are outside of
school!
And No, I'm not saying school isn't important for all.
I'm just responding to the select few that chose Hollywood
as their furthering educational personal choices.
Thanks fun read...
#2 by Trev
Sep 22, 2007
Could it be possible that each of them could still have been famous and rich after finishing high school. It may have helped them deal with the lifestyle better if they had. Each of them have shown the ability to make some very bad choices. Rich and famous does not mean they are smart.
#3 by Lucy Lockett
Sep 23, 2007
That was an interesting read. I do not believe that education has anything to do with fame or fortune. Not everyone is an academic either. These young women have made choices from the opportunties that came their way and to have a public life was obviously important for them. I don't think that it would be an easy .
#4 by MC
Dec 17, 2007
I do notice that 5 out of 6 of those people are often cited as being some of the dumbest celebs as well which I think makes for an interesting corollary to the not finishing high school thing.
#5 by Caitlin
Dec 17, 2007
The only one who surprised me here is Hilary Swank.
#6 by Diana
Dec 18, 2007
Why is it that this list does NOT surprise me at all?!! Other than Hilary Swank these girls were doomed from birth to be nothing but trouble. I feel sorry for them although not really that much because they do have all that money but then again what good will that ever do them they probably don\'t have true love and/or true happiness and all that money can\'t buy any of it.
#7 by Rick
Dec 19, 2007
They missed the biggest fish of hollywood women....Julia Roberts. She was a drop out also.
#8 by Dave
Dec 19, 2007
While I agree that education is not for everyone, and that there should be a better way to make a living for those who are simply not cut out for high school, I would hope my daughter doesn't look up to this bunch. Hilton is an ex-con, and we've seen her writing on the Internet -- she might benefit from another few English classes. Spears is a walking train wreck. Lohan's career has been ruined by drugs, and the jury's still out on whether Avril will be around in a few years. So if you have a pretty face, a great singing voice, a billionaire dad or a showbiz mom, sure, drop out. Everyone else, don't end up like these gals.
#9 by azn_trash
Dec 19, 2007
why is this not suprising
#10 by BL
Dec 19, 2007
Prostitutes do not need any education to function properly; referring specifically to the first person on the list. She would be on a street corner if it wasn’t for daddy.
#11 by IL
Dec 19, 2007
I guess it all depends on what your definition of "success" is. I feel that being intelligent far surpasses wealth...Its not like the money has brought them anything but material things. No one i know is rich and yet i haven't seen any of them shaving off their hair, doing drugs/alcohol almost everyday, going anorexic/bulemic, getting married in las Vegas and my favorite, flashing their punany in public. Its as if their wealth and fame has made them even more stupid. Not to mention the fact that money comes and goes.
#12 by me
Dec 20, 2007
Interesting to compare how many of these drop outs have also had substance abuse problems at such young age
#13 by mike
Dec 22, 2007
Paris Hilton didnt go to a Manhattan school for her junior year. She went to my old high school, Canterbury School and was in my class. The school is in a small town in CT called New Milford and she was kicked out half-way through the year. The late John F. Kennedy also attended Canterbury and was expelled for skipping classes because he thought he was too rich for class. She was in my history class and was as dumb as a rock...I'm surprised she even made it to high school. She was really popular nontheless and has enough money that it doesn't matter.
#14 by Rob
Dec 23, 2007
Does it surprise anyone that the majority of these people are known for being incredibly stupid. This should be a stay in school advocacy campaign. "If you drop out the world will laugh at all your dumb ideas, and think you are a sad joke."
#15 by Jack
Dec 25, 2007
I work 60 hours a week and have a graduate degree. I also make 1-2 precent of what they make in a year. Incredibly stupid??? I don\'t think so.
#16 by Mia
Dec 26, 2007
oh my god. these people are known for being like the worlds dumbest people. is anyone else not suprised?
#17 by yeah...maybe not
Dec 27, 2007
why do we care???
#18 by quiet voice
Jan 1, 2008
Hey, graduating from high school is a sign that you are mature
enough to complete a given task, sometimes, the first step to maturity. Success comes from a number of lucky breaks, talent, perhaps rich parents, but an incomplete transtion to adulthood for not completing that first symbolic step leaves a void,
that sometimes haunts you with an insecure feeling. Although it doesn't take away the security of money. Take your choice.
#19 by Jazz
Jan 1, 2008
High school helps you get along in life and with other people better. If you don't graduate, you probably will not be good at life in general.
#20 by Byl [Bill] Butler
Jan 2, 2008
I\'d agree with Jazz #20. High school has proven to be the toughest war zone in training for life\'s skills. Simply because you are dealing with every type of personality in existence. There you learn to cope, weed out, tolerate, enjoy, love, like and even ignore certain types of persona. These skills are useful in day to day adult relationships as we keep traveling on life\'s journey. I have no envy, admiration, empathy or any emotion which deals with each of these people. However, I am a former public high school teacher and do support the importance of an education. There is also a factor which states that by one\'s junior year [well into it], a student should be on the grid of coping with the aforementioned list, and if a lucretive, safe and honest opportunity comes in mid term of 11th grade, I say go for it. If the thing sought for is what your gift is to share with others, then start perfecting it asap. There is one major concern about Ms. Spears, she was a Disney Kid at a very early age, this in itself leads to problems. Not having a real childlike growing time will haunt the kid later in life. Any reader who has stayed with this blog thus far, can attest to this fact which has been reported by the media many times, mostly for ratings. From Mickey Rooney and Judy Garland, Danny and many more, proof is given. I personally worked with a 14 year old girl this summer who was the star of my movie, and 22/6, she had to act on adults request to try and be mature most of the time. This is easy for them to do, but not for a number of their growing years. I finished her scenes just in time for her to go home and tryout for her cheerleading squad. The first day of school was also VERY important to her. Think on these things, then harsh judgement may seem a bit much. I attended high school with Kim Basinger, Pete Buck of REM and Keith and the late Ricky of the B-52\'s... they went to summer school to complete early. I began college at age 15, and so did Ms. Basinger. However, I remember her saying to me while shopping, that she was going to drop out of The University of Georgia, because she had begun to do well in the industry and saw no need for a college education. I say kudos to her, and had I not stayed in to earn two degrees, I would be further in my film career... which I wanted to do in the first place, but was thinking that an education would provide a solid stream of income. True to some degree, but as a former blogger said, all these degrees only pays us less than half per year that a celebrity gets for one episode or show... \'cause now I know! Byl Butler p.s. the only problem that can be of concern is, not being able to participate in an intelligent conversation outside of your realm of knowledge and being the butt of jokes like... "Paris and Brittany went to help out Nicole, but when they arrived, the two blondes forgot why they left home".
#21 by hmmm
Jan 3, 2008
Why aren't there any men featured on this list?
#22 by think before you post
Jan 13, 2008
Now thousands of young girls will wonder if they really need that high school education. Congradulations.
#23 by anonymous
Oct 21, 2008
I dropped out of school at the end of grade 9 and I now have my own very successful business - unlike friends who finished high school and went to college, most of them ended up in dead end jobs. Life is what you make of it - its never about where you been or what you have done - its always about where you are and what you doing. Life is school and you learn everyday.
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