In some states, a sixteen year old CANNOT take the GED. Otherwise, there would be far too many smart kids dropping out and going directly to college. The teacher unions don't allow it.
***I think in California it's probably true as well, unless the kid drops out of high school. It's a bizarre twist, but we might be able to take advantage of it.
I think most states have laws that kids can't take the GED before their normal graduation time.
***Hopefully you found the right loophole below.
The "other" best option, ") would be to call oneself a homeschool student, and take "dual track" courses at the local community college. These courses would be applied to his high school graduation and his future college degree. This is certainly legal in my state. I think you can take up to 29 hours this way, but I'm not sure as to the exact amount.
***So, once a kid has 29 hours under his belt, he's wasting his time if he doesn't take the GED and move onto college?