13 Successful Celebrities Who Dropped Out of School

6. Avril Lavigne

The French-Canadian singer-songwriter grew up in Belleville, Ontario. It was here that her parents supported her singing from a young age. Her father bought her a microphone, a drum kit, a keyboard, and several guitars, and converted their basement into a studio. At age 14, Avril began attending karaoke sessions in her hometown. Then, in 1999, when Avril was only 15, she won a radio contest to perform with fellow Canadian singer Shania Twain in Ottawa. Avril dropped out of high school to pursue her music career and was signed by LA Reid to Arista Records the following year. As of 2013, Avril has sold more than 50 million singles and 30 million copies of her albums worldwide, making her one of the number 10 pop artist in the “Best of the 2000s” chart.