Top 10: Celebrity high school dropouts

EducationHQ News Team

By EducationHQ News Team
Published January 29, 2014

Becoming a high school dropout is widely considered to be a career-stopper, or at the very least a giant hurdle in your career goals. However, there are several world famous and highly successful exceptions that prove that this isn't exactly a rule of thumb. Despite never receiving that lauded high school graduation certificate, these members of the art and business worlds succeeded well beyond expectation through a combination of hard-work, luck, ingenuity and occasionally, just a little bit of nepotism.

Here is our top 10 list of celebrity dropouts:

1. Ryan Gosling 'All-American' heartthrob Ryan Gosling found school difficult. He ...

EOI - Principal (Level 1) - Millaroo State School

Department of Education and Training (Queensland) Townsville

An exciting opportunity exists for a focussed and dynamic leader to join Millaroo State School's leadership team as a temporary Principal (Level 1) from 6 April 2026 t...

Teaching - Secondary / Apr 08, 2026

Primary Teacher

COOLOOLA CHRISTIAN COLLEGE Queensland Australia

We are currently seeking a Primary Teacher to join our dynamic team in our new, state of the art Primary Village. This permanent position will be on a full-time or par...

Teaching - Primary / Apr 08, 2026

EYFS Teaching Assistant (Level 3)

Veritas Wakefield

Teaching - Early childhood / Apr 08, 2026

Opinion / Autism awareness isn’t enough: implementation is the real challenge for schools

Many schools will acknowledge Autism Awareness Month, or increasingly, Autism Acceptance Month, this April.

School news / Sold-out researchED: Teacher-driven reform behind nation's science of learning shift

Australian educators are behind a grassroots movement that’s driving the nation’s shift to evidence-based instruction and pedagogy in the classroom.

School news / Schooling shortfall at Olympic venue's housing project

A major housing project at the home of Australia's last Olympics is on the cards, but details about surrounding schools remain scarce.

School news / ‘Constellation of deep concern’: Burnt out and fed up Aussie principals eye the exit door

Dedicated and resilient Australian principals are grappling with the growing enormity of their job, putting in ‘dangerously long’ hours every week as many risk marching towards breaking point, a prominent national study has warned.

School news / Phone-free zone: digital device crackdown extended to all Vic schools

Mobile phones, smartwatches and other wearable devices will be banned in all Victorian schools from next year as the State Government extends its ‘nation leading’ legislation to independent and Catholic schools.

School news / ‘We must act now’: urgent calls to address maths participation decline in schools

Engineers are warning that now is the time to tackle Australia’s significant drop in participation rates for advanced mathematics.

School news / Targeted school library resourcing a reading must: new report

Large numbers of Queensland state schools have a $0 book budget and no librarians, new research has found.

Opinion / I’ve changed my mind about explicit teaching for gifted students

The true test of whether someone subscribes to the science of learning is their willingness to change their beliefs in the face of new evidence.

School news / Schools and workplaces discriminating against trans and gender diverse: report

Discrimination against trans and gender diverse people is widespread, with serious impacts on safety, access to essential services and full participation in society, a new report has found.

Opinion / Tempering expectations: teaching ‘resilience’ might be code for something else

It seems a tad ironic to be writing about resilience the week following one of the largest teacher’s strikes we have seen for many years.

Comments