The problem is there are no easy and obvious options - the education-industrial complex has so propagandized everyone, from government to schools to teachers to parents and students - and such huge protected interests have grown up around the education-industrial complex - that is still seems like the only obvious choice to most people.
Smart kids and parents look at other options - but those parents and kids are a definite minority.
I’d say it’s not so much the parents/government/teachers/schools that influence students to go to college—it’s the business and corporate world.
There are MANY employers (white collar) that won’t look at a resume that lacks a college degree (especially for a first job but even for subsequent jobs). Lacking a college degree still closes many doors. Having a college degree opens them. Lots more options.