State Compulsory School Attendance Laws
Updated August 5, 2020 |
Infoplease Staff
Here's a list of each U.S. state's compulsory school attendance laws and the date they were implemented.
| State | Enactment1 | Compulsory attendance, 2013 |
| Alabama | 1915 | 6–16 |
| Alaska | 1929 | 7–16 |
| Arizona | 1899 | 6–16 |
| Arkansas | 1909 | 5–17 |
| California | 1874 | 6–18 |
| Colorado | 1889 | 6–17 |
| Connecticut | 1872 | 5–18 |
| Delaware | 1907 | 5–16 |
| District of Columbia | 1864 | 5–18 |
| Florida | 1915 | 6–16 |
| Georgia | 1916 | 6–16 |
| Hawaii | 1896 | 6–18 |
| Idaho | 1887 | 7–16 |
| Illinois | 1883 | 7–17 |
| Indiana | 1897 | 7–16 |
| Iowa | 1902 | 6–16 |
| Kansas | 1874 | 7–18 |
| Kentucky | 1896 | 6–16 |
| Louisiana | 1910 | 7–18 |
| Maine | 1875 | 7–172 |
| Maryland | 1902 | 5–16 |
| Massachusetts | 1852 | 6–16 |
| Michigan | 1871 | 6–16 |
| Minnesota | 1885 | 7–16 |
| Mississippi | 1918 | 6–17 |
| Missouri | 1905 | 7–16 |
| Montana | 1883 | 7–16 |
| Nebraska | 1887 | 6–18 |
| Nevada | 1873 | 7–18 |
| New Hampshire | 1871 | 6–16 |
| New Jersey | 1875 | 6–16 |
| New Mexico | 1891 | 5–18 |
| New York | 1874 | 6–16 |
| North Carolina | 1907 | 7–16 |
| North Dakota | 1883 | 7–16 |
| Ohio | 1877 | 6–18 |
| Oklahoma | 1907 | 5–18 |
| Oregon | 1889 | 7–18 |
| Pennsylvania | 1895 | 8–17 |
| Rhode Island | 1883 | 6–183 |
| South Carolina | 1915 | 5–17 |
| South Dakota | 1883 | 6–184 |
| Tennessee | 1905 | 6–17 |
| Texas | 1915 | 6–18 |
| Utah | 1890 | 6–18 |
| Vermont | 1867 | 6–16 |
| Virginia | 1908 | 5–18 |
| Washington | 1871 | 8–18 |
| West Virginia | 1897 | 6–16 |
| Wisconsin | 1879 | 6–18 |
| Wyoming | 1876 | 7–16 |
NOTE: (—) = not available.
1. Date of enactment of first compulsory attendance law.
2. In Maine, students must be at least 5 years old before October 15, or 4 years old by October 15 if they are enrolled in a public preschool program prior to kindergarten (where offered).
3. In Rhode Island, the compulsory age is 16 if a student has an alternative learning plan for obtaining a high school diploma or its equivalent.
4. In South Dakota, the compulsory age limit is 16 if a child enrolls in a general education development test preparation program that is school-based or for which a school contracts, and the child successfully completes the test or reaches the age of 18.
Source: Department of Education, National Center for Educational Statistics, Digest of Education Statistics, 2004.
| Elementary and High School Education |
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