Maybe, though I still think it sounds like something happened that made her not really want to take the trip anymore.
One thing to add, for my scattered son it was his trip to Costa Rica over the summer between 9th and 10th grades that changed things around for him. He had to be independent and he got a taste of individual freedom and the responsibility that came with it and it caused him to mature. He put into practice all the life lesson we had tried to teach him.
He was mature on many other levels- good with money, emotionally independent etc, but very disorganized and scattered and trouble getting excited about school. The trip changed everything for him. He became passionate about photography and is now on the school newspaper etc.
I agree with Bootis. It kind of sounds that she doesn’t really want to go, and has taken the path of least resistance (consciously or unconsciously) to make sure that she doesn’t have to. It may be that she feels a bit self-conscious that she’s apprehensive about the trip when you seem to be so excited about it. She may not want to disappoint you by telling you she doesn’t want to go.
I did something similar when I was in high school. My parents really wanted me to apply to a specific university that I wasn’t keen on going to. I dithered and dawdled about it until I finally missed the application deadline. I didn’t consciously decide to miss it, I just put it out of my mind until it was too late. In hindsight, it was an easier way out than having the discussion with my parents about why I didn’t really want to go to that particular school, and perhaps having them be disappointed in me.
This is what I would wonder. Sometimes perfectly smart responsible kids end up in classes they can’t handle. Because they’re not prepared, because they don’t click with teacher, or maybe because they failed one test at the beginning of the class and lost their confidence (not to generalize but I think this last one happens a lot more with girls than boys). Or some other reason, and rather than ask for help she just pushed the problem under the rug and gave up.
Not saying this is what happened. It could be anything. But, I think it’s possible enough to post. I would try to find out what happened with the class and deal with the trip afterwards. There will be other chances to travel.
Yeah, what someone else said – YOU take a nice trip, and remind her before you leave that it could have been her. That is a lesson she will never forget.
I’m with this. when I was in high school I sure as hell wouldn’t want to go on trips like this (not that we really had any anyway.)
Send her. It’ll be worth it to her. My kid at 14 would have been much the same, but by a couple years later has become much more responsible and pro-active. Your daughter will gain enough benefits by going that it’s worth having her mother pick up the pieces and put it together. I know how frustrating it can be, especially the extra $300. Maybe she can work it off with extra chores around the house for $10 an hour or something.
I recognize that kid. 
Don’t sweat the missed trip Mom, it is not a once in a life time opportunity, remember she has at least 3 more years in HS to choose from multiple travel adventures. She has a lot on her plate now, it is not a failure if she defers the trip. Congrats on having a small nest egg saved, keep at it!
Send her. In 9th grade and 10th grade I went to France and Switzerland with my French class. Very much worth it. Later on (the summer between my junior/senior year) I spent most of the summer wandering around Asia on my own… those three trips cemented a much larger world view for me.
With a 60 in any class in high-school, I think this signifies very significant academic difficulty. Getting to the bottom of and resolving that academic problem should be the priority, in my opinion.
My son had a 60 in history one marking period because he missed one assignment and at midterms they had only had two assignments. By the end of the marking period he had a 90+. Sometimes grades can be weird.
I am curious about a 9th grader taking AP classes- that’s different than my experience has been.
That’s great 
I just don’t know if the OP’s daughter would have the same kind of good experience with it and maybe it’s more important to work on the underlying issues there. Like why she’s failing the class (doesn’t gel with the teacher, overscheduled etc.) and finding out whether she really wants to go or not. If all that gets straightened out, she’s only 15 so there’s still time to travel when she wants to and is ready.
Doing poorly in school because she turns in assignments late or not at all is a serious issue, trip or no trip. How you deal with that may depend on its cause: she may have ADD-ish issues (a definite possibility—see Sarahfeena’s post); she may be unmotivated; she may have something weighing heavily on her mind; she may be going through a phase where this is her way of rebelling or asserting her independence; or she may just never have learned a system for how to be organized and get things done on time.
I agree with Renee. It would kill me not to send her, but with the bad grade and the possibly-on-purpose procrastination, it would probably be best to just wait until next year.
I have ADHD and agree with this. The “slacker” in the OP set off warning bells for me too.
Another thought, maybe she’s overwhelmed by school? I had 2 AP classes in high school, 1 each in my junior and senior years, and honors classes for almost everything else. I didn’t have her extracurricular activities, either (just a loathsome part-time job at K-Fart) and there were times when I felt I was in over my head. The thought of having ALL AP courses plus track and orchestra makes me want to barf now at age 35 :eek:
She might be feeling so much pressure to excel and get into college (not saying from you, OP, but from her teachers, peers, or even herself) that she doesn’t want to admit she’s stuck.
I can remember thinking, I don’t know what to do, I can’t do this, I’ll skip this homework and do extra well on that paper, and I"ll make it up by the end of the year. In her shoes I’d be wondering how the hell I was supposed to find mental room for the trip to Europe on top of all that.
Just my two cents on why it’s more important to find out what’s going on with her schoolwise than sending her on the trip right now.
This is going to come out wrong - and I’m not a parent - but I’d be more concerned about the 60 average than about the trip. I don’t know if she cares about the trip in the first place, and whether you decide to send her or not, but this sounds like a good time to have that conversation about how you’re not going to bail her out like this anymore.
Reading this as not a parent (see my tag) but as a previously-awkward teen, the first thing I thought was “don’t be mad at her because she doesn’t want to go.” I had to read a few replies before I realized you were mad because she missed the deadline to sign up.
And yeah, a 60 in a class for a smart kid means there’s something going on emotionally.
I agree. She must pull up her grades by the end of the term and pay the $300 if she wants to go. She’ll learn a lesson and get to go on the trip. Everyone wins.
Your daughter sounds a lot like my son, who’s currently 12.
My advice would be to focus on the grades first. If she gets them up to an acceptable level, and at that point she still wants to go on the trip, then make the arrangements if there is still time to do so, and make her pay the late fee in whatever manner you guys work out. If she decides the trip is not a priority, or if it’s too late, then plan for next year and both of you make a commitment to be more proactive in order to keep things on track.