Throwing more anecdotal evidence at this argument that college isn't for everyone-
I spent two years as an administrator at a vocational and technical charter high school. The charter graduated kids who had spent 4 years studying graphic design, culinary arts, childcare and child development, construction as well as the necessary high school graduation classes. Most of my students were foster kids, kids in the juvenile detention system or kids coming from very, very hard lives. Getting a job was their goal, not going to college. They simply wanted to have food and clothes and a useful skill they could put to work.
Our district shut the charter down because of the expense of running the school (tools are expensive) and because we did not promote college for all. We didn't teach a single AP class or even honors college prep classes. But you know what? Our graduation rate was 100% for 5 years and every one of our kids passed the required graduation exam in California.
I followed 15 kids that were sophomores and juniors afterward to find out what happened to them. Two graduated high school. The others all dropped out- some after transferring to the regular public school, some after going to the alternative/credit recovery school.
College for all failed those kids. And thousands more around the country who can't even imagine student loans. If they decided at 28 to go to community college or to go back to school, they were prepared educationally and mentally to make those decisions. We certainly never said "you can't go to college". But we did say "Hey, you're really great with your hands- did you know an apprentice electrician can make $60K?"
