A/B honor roll dont mean anything. That can be had anytime. Right now he's lost.

 Sometimes, no amount of talking, or explaining, even with visuals, will do anything but loose them further. Sometimes, it is a small piece of the puzzle that went missing early on that keeps them from completing the puzzle and understanding the purpose of what they are doing now.

 Sometimes, more can be accomplished with questions than can be with answers that had no question to start with. If I were in your shoes, which I am not, I might start asking questions and see if he can find the answers. If he has to start thinking to find answers, he might then find that missing puzzle piece.

 I dont deal with people well. I tend to stay clear of things like this as they make me nervous and I have a lot of doubt in my abilities to deal with young people, having no children myself. But when I am around teenagers or young adults, I find I can relay a message much more effectively if I ask questions and let them find the answers. If all I do is tell them how it is, it means little to them. But if they found the answer to a question, they then have the surrounding information they need for the answer to make sense. IMO.

 Regardless of the young persons situation, there usually is at least some desire to learn and grow. You just have to find what triggers that desire and use it to better them as well as yourself. IMO.