Correct me if I’m wrong but I thought in America there’s no obligation to attend school ever, because you can just be homeschooled and then take the GED? I think it’s dumb but I don’t know for sure.
It's complicated. There's a broad requirement that you receive a K-12 education. There's also a huge amount of pushback against most things that would infringe personal freedoms, so "I'm handling that myself, go away" is permitted but the exact details vary between states.
At least where I grew up if you drop out and don't file all the necessary homeschooling paperwork the police will visit you.
It's a sort of a grey area, and varies a lot by state and which way the political winds are blowing.
Miss too many days of government school because your family are poor and you had to help your parents put bread on the table? The truancy officer may show up to arrest you.
Announce you are homeschooling your kids to avoid liberal indoctrination? Sending your kids to work in a factory? A-ok in a number of states.
At least where I grew up if you drop out and don't file all the necessary homeschooling paperwork the police will visit you.