I wonder if Mom and Dad here have ever considered that their kids are smarter than they are; that their kids see that college, at this point in their lives, would be nothing more than a continuation of the lefty claptrap indoctrination they've been getting in high school. My 16 year-old son has told me that he wants to look at the Coast Guard or the Navy after high school graduation. He's very smart, although not much of a student, but smart enough to realize that having "An Inconvenient Truth" shown in class is nonsense. I think a lot of these kids may be turning their backs on the crap they've been being fed and looking for "real stuff".
Have him watch that recent Kevin Costner movie about the Coast Guard. I'm an Army guy myself, and never thought much of the CG. The movie opened my eyes to the service they provide, and their heroism. An absolutely amazing film.