In Florida (and probably many other states as well), one of the requirements is literally to WAIT. Apparently the public school bureaucracy and teacher unions, ever focused on keeping as many "students" enrolled as possible, so they can rake in the per-student money from the taxpayers, prohibit students from taking the GRE before the date when they would have graduated from high school. In other words, if a kid is able to pass the GED after 10th grade, tough; he simply has to wait 2 more years to be allowed to take it. They figure that this will make more kids hang around high school longer, since their employment options with neither GED nor diploma are very limited, and there iwll often be parental pressure not to be a "drop-out".
Many really bright kids could pass the GED in late elementary or middle school. In my state they must be 18.
Consequences:
A GED or H.S. diploma is required for eligibility for government Pell Grants, government loans, and state scholarships.
Can you imagine how many kids would jumping off the Marxist government school Titanic? That's big bucks to the schools and it means fewer jobs for our nation's communist teachers.
By the way, my homeschooling kids were in college by the ages of 13, 12, and 13. My husband and I have jumped the GED hoops. In the end, we simple shelled out the big bucks for tuition.
( Another story of homeschoolers paying twice: once in taxes for other people's kids, and a second time paying full rate for their own kids.)
Ridiculous...more likely they will hang around a get into drugs, alcohol and sex. Kids with too much time on their hands...is not a good thing. Also, my wife is a teacher, she does not believe that these sort of laws...no GED until 18 or no license until 18 unless you stay in school do not keep kids in school and are not a good idea.