Germany and other EU countries that offer free tuition begin segregating students into vocational and university tracks starting around age 10. Only about 30% of students qualify for university. The rest stop school around 15-16 and go into vocational training. These aren't student choices, their dictated by the school system.

The US would never approve of a school system that told parents that their children weren't allowed to go to university and had to go into vocational training.