If everyone calls me a genius, why are my grades so bad?

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No matter what I do, I can't make school work. I've shuffled between all kinds of alternative programs and I just can't function in that system. It's the same story. I'm short tons of credits and entering senior year with no hope.

Every teacher I talk to says I'm really good in a classroom. I ask the best questions, I understand really well, I'm really smart and talented, but put a piece of homework in front of me and I can't do it. Especially math.

I absolutely smash comprehension based testing. But I get Fs on busywork. The net result is my report card looks like I'm a delinquent, and yet everyone says I'm a genius. Took an IQ test in 7th grade for some reason I forgot, and scored 138. But it doesn't count for anything, because I'm still a complete academic failure.

I don't think I failed public school. I think public school failed me. But maybe I just sound like an entitled prick saying that.

Unfortunately, good grades go to the kids who can fit in the cookie cutter mold. Schools can't fit the individual due to bureaucracy, cash, and personal constraints.

You're going to need that diploma. Ever thought about ways of testing out (such as taking an HSED)?

More seriously a lot of things can contribute to doing badly in school, like learning difficulties, simply being bored or the two at the same time. A lot of smart peoples also got difficulties in "showing their work" when it come to math, and a lot of aspies/auties, contrary to the stereotype, are just bad in math even if they are smart.

It may not be challenging enough. IIRC I'd do stuff as quickly as possible to make it challenging. I recall one girl who did beat me on some written exams--turns out she couldn't read and randomly filled out the tests.

That's exactly what happens to me. Everybody tells me that I'm very smart but lazy at the same time. But I don't think I'm lazy. It's just that I can't study and can't do homework.
During 7th and 8th grades and freshmen year, I was like the wonk and know-it-all of my class, because I was all the time making difficult questions and always understood everything very well, and all my classmates thought I got really good grades, when actually I was pretty average (in Spain we are tested from 0 to 10, and my average grade was 7). In tests I used to get good grades (usually 8 or 8.5) but as I never did my homework and never did the projects we had to do, I always got a 7 at the end of the year. In 8th grade I also took an IQ test because our school counselor thought I was "intellectual gifted" and I scored 133.
Finally in sophomore year, I decided I wanted to stop be seen as the wonk of the class, because it felt really unfair to have bad reputation because of my "good grades" and at the same time not getting good grades at all. So I changed completly my attitude towards school, and stop making questions and participating in class (well, except in History, I couldn't stop making questions in that subject). Teachers didn't do anything about it at first because actually, they never liked my questions, sometimes they didn't even answer them.
To tell the truth, it worked very well (I started to have social life that year, even if people still considered me weird), but during this year (Junior) I stopped doing anything at all (I didn't even take the books out of my bag, I just stared at the walls or tried to sleep). It wasn't anymore because of wanting to have a better reputation, it was just because of lack of interest in anything. I didn't study either at home, so my grades dropped a lot and I started to have problems to pass tests. Finally I've got an average grade of 6, which is actually much more of what I expected, but I don't know how will I make senior year. I'm starting to think I may have TDAH, because I can't study or work even if I want to. What surprises me the most is that teachers seem to like my not-doing-anything-at-all self (even if they say they are worried) more than my asking-everything-which-passes-trough-my-mind self.

Primary school was made for one specific neurotype, and everybody else basically has to "adapt or GTFO." It's not your fault, and a lot of people who didn't do well in school end up in decent careers. The traditional path isn't always the right one.

This sounds like the reason why i dropped out of college; i just could not comprehend written tests and/or provide the correct answers.
When in discussion with the teacher or doing an oral version of the exam, where i could ask for clarifications on the assignments and use books for reference, i got high-B's, even A's, but when faced with just an exam sheet, i'd be happy to get even a D.

for me, it was a clear question-comprehension issue (made worse by distractors in the exam hall, but even when i got my own small room i didn't understand the questions well enough).
Teachers make the test such that "most people will understand what i mean"; if your neurotype and learning/thinking style don't match that of the teacher or the 'norm', you are out of luck for written tests

I wonder if making exhibits for science museums would be a good job for the gifted?

Yep. Like others who commented here, this is my educational story. I dropped out of public education in my last year of high school with a D+ grade average. Why couldn't I simply coast and graduate in several months? I was bored to tears. My school administrators were apoplectic about my decision to drop out. The school was, at the time, the highest academically achieved school in our state. My black smudge on their record was all they cared about. They even offered to "pencil-whip" away some of my required classes if I just didn't drop out.

But, I was determined to complete my GED as quickly as possible, then my ACT college-entrance exams and attend my university. They knew of my above-genius IQ and saw me as a wasted slacker who could do great things. I saw them as holding me back.

We were both right: I did do great and amazing things. And, they did hold me back.

CAVEAT: My story is completely unique. Dropping out of school is not easy and should be avoided whenever possible. But, if someone means to do it, at least have a plan B in mind.

I'd say you're missing the point of education. It's not about "being smart" or "knowing information", it's about fitting the social expectations of the institution and doing what you're told. If you weren't learning information at school they'd have you working there instead because what you're actually doing is unimportant: the institution only cares that you're following the rules and in this case homework is part of the rules-- whether it's beneficial to you or not.

I’ve sometimes been called a genius. Sometimes a ret*d. I prefer the latter.

At any rate, pure intelligence is no substitute for hard work.

The Olympics are the same way--you could be the fastest man in the world, but it you don't show up for the all those qualifying races and follow a bunch of rules they won't let you race for gold.

I have a natural aptitude for mathematics and computers, but the rate at which we're expected to learn content at University is extremely fast and requires hours of dedicated study every day. My marks suffer because I really don't care about it enough to master it at that pace. Typically I become adept at a subject a year or two after I've finished it.

I've spent my whole life being considered "really smart" by other people, but I don't feel that way. I've met people that are actually smart, and boy do I feel humbled in their presence.