Inside the schools trying to break America's college obsession

When Sam Johnson said he didn't want to go to college after graduating from high school, his teachers didn't blink.

That's because Upton High School's guiding philosophy is that college isn't for everyone. Instead, the Wyoming school helps students tailor their education to one of three paths: college, military, or workforce. Since implementing the model eight years ago, school leaders are pleased to see that the focus on college is diminishing.

In Upton's 2025 graduating class, nine students chose a four-year university, two chose a two-year community college, three chose trade school, four entered the workforce, and one entered the military. That's a wider variety of paths compared to six years ago, when none went to trade school.

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