Compulsory School Age Requirements

700 Broadway, Suite 810 • Denver, CO 80203-3442 • 303.299.3600 • Fax: 303.296.8332

Marga Mikulecky

April 2013

This 50-State Analysis will answer these questions:

• What is the minimum age that a student is required to attend school?

• What is the maximum age that a student can be required to attend school?

• How many years total are students required to attend school?

Introduction

Compulsory school attendance refers to the minimum and maximum age required by each state in which a

student must be enrolled in and attending public school or some equivalent education program defined by the

law. The vast majority of states include an added clause providing for pupils to be released from compulsory

attendance requirements upon graduation of high school, regardless of age. Additionally, nearly half of all

states allow children ranging from ages 14-18 to be exempt from the compulsory attendance requirement if

they meet one or more of the following stipulations: are employed, have a physical or mental condition that

makes the child’s attendance infeasible, have passed the 8th-grade level, have their parents’ permission, have

the permission of the district court or the local school board, meet the requirements for an exit interview, or

have attained alternative education such as vocational or technical school.

How many years are students required to be in school?

School Attendance Age Requirements

50-State Analysis

Education Commission of the States • 700 Broadway, Suite 1200 • Denver, CO 80203-3460 • 303.299.3600 • fax 303.296.8332 • www.ecs.org

Page 2

State/Territory

(Citation)

Age Requirement

Alabama

(A

LA

.

C

ODE

§ 16-28-3)

6-17 years old

Alaska

(ALASKA STAT. 14.30.010)

7-16

Arizona

(A

RIZ

.

R

EV

.

S

TAT

. § 15-802, §15-802-D-2)

6-16 (or completion of 10th grade)

Arkansas

(A

RK

.

S

TAT

.

A

NN

. § 6-18-201)

5-17

California

(C

AL

.

E

DUC

.

C

ODE

§ 48200)

6-18

Colorado

(

COLO. REV. STAT. § 22-33-104)

6-17

Connecticut

(CONN. GEN. STAT. § 10-184)

5-18

Delaware

(14 D

EL

.

C

ODE

A

NN

. §2702)

5-16

District of Columbia

(

D.C. CODE ANN. § 38-202)

5-18

Florida

(FLA. STAT. § 1003.21)

6-16

Georgia

(G

A

.

C

ODE

A

NN

.

§

20-2-690.1)

6-16

Hawaii

(H

AW

.

R

EV

.

S

TAT

.

§

302A-1132)

6-18

Idaho

(I

DAHO

C

ODE

§

33-202)

7-16

Illinois

(

105 ILL. COMP. STAT. ANN. 5/26-1)

7-17

Indiana

(IND. CODE ANN. § 20-33-2-6; § 22-33-2-9(B)

7-16

Iowa

(I

OWA

C

ODE

§299.1A)

6-16

Kansas

(K

AN

.

S

TAT

.

A

NN

.

§

72-1111)

7-18

Kentucky

(KY. REV. STAT. ANN. § 159.010)

6-16

[effective 2015-16, local boards may raise upper age

from 16 to 18. Once (and if) 55% of all districts have

done so, all districts would be required to raise the

age to 18.]

Louisiana

(

LA. REV. STAT. ANN. § 17:221)

7-18

Maine

(ME. REV. STAT. ANN. § TIT. 20A, § 3271)

7-17

Education Commission of the States • 700 Broadway, Suite 1200 • Denver, CO 80203-3460 • 303.299.3600 • fax 303.296.8332 • www.ecs.org

Page 3

State/Territory

(Citation)

Age Requirement

Maryland

(MD. CODE ANN., EDUC. § 7-301)

5-16

[effective 2015-16, age 17; effective 2017-18, age 18]

Massachusetts

(MASS. REGS. CODE TIT. 603. § 8.02

MASS. GEN. LAWS ANN. CH. 76 § 1)

6-16

Michigan

(M

ICH

.

S

TAT

.

A

NN

.

§

380.1561)

6-16

Minnesota

(

MINN. STAT. § 120A.22)

7-16

Mississippi

(MISS. CODE ANN. § 37-13-91)

6-17

Missouri

(M

O

.

R

EV

.

S

TAT

.

§

167.031)

7-16

Montana

(M

ONT

.

C

ODE

A

NN

.

§

20-5-102)

7-16

Nebraska

(N

EB

.

R

EV

.

S

TAT

.

A

NN

.

§

79-201)

6-18

Nevada

(

NEV. REV. STAT. ANN. § 392.040)

7-18

New Hampshire

(N.H. REV. STAT. ANN. § 193.1)

6-18

New Jersey

(N.J.

R

EV

.

S

TAT

.

§18A:38-25)

6-16

New Mexico

(N.M.

S

TAT

.

A

NN

.

§

22-8-2;

§

22-12-2;

§ 22-8-2 m(3)

5-18

New York

(N.Y.

E

DUC

.

L

AW

§

3205)

6-16

North Carolina

(

N.C. GEN. STAT. § 115C-378)

7-16

North Dakota

(N.D. CENT. CODE § 15.1-20-01)

7-16

Ohio

(O

HIO

R

EV

.

C

ODE

A

NN

.

§

3321.01)

6-18

Oklahoma

(70

O

KLA

.

S

TAT

.

TIT

,

70,

§

10-105)

5-18

Oregon

(O

R

.

R

EV

.

S

TAT

.

§

339.010)

7-18

Pennsylvania

(

PA. STAT. ANN. § 13-1326)

8-17

Rhode Island

(R.I. GEN. LAWS § 16-19-1)

6-16

1

South Carolina

5-17

Education Commission of the States • 700 Broadway, Suite 1200 • Denver, CO 80203-3460 • 303.299.3600 • fax 303.296.8332 • www.ecs.org

Page 4

State/Territory

(Citation)

Age Requirement

(S.C. CODE ANN. § 59-65-10)

South Dakota

(S.D.

C

ODIFIED

L

AWS

§

13-27-1)

6-18

2

Tennessee

(T

ENN

.

C

ODE

A

NN

.

§

49-6-3001

(C)(1))

6-17

Texas

(T

EX

.

E

DUC

.

C

ODE

A

NN

.

§

25.085)

6-18

Utah

(

UTAH CODE ANN. § 53A-11-101)

6-18

Vermont

(VT. STAT. ANN. TIT. 16 § 1121)

6-16 (or completion of 10

th

grade)

Virginia

(V

A

.

C

ODE

A

NN

.

§

22.1-254)

5-18

Washington

(W

ASH

.

R

EV

.

C

ODE

§

28A.225.010)

8-18

West Virginia

(W.

V

A

.

C

ODE

§

18-8-1

A

)

6-17 (eff. Class of 2015)

Wisconsin

(

WIS. STAT. § 118.15)

6-18

Wyoming

(WYO. STAT. ANN. § 21-4-102)

7-16

1

Age 16 if a student has an alternative learning plan for obtaining a high school diploma or its equivalent.

2

Age 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 years.

Marga Mikulecky (

mmikulecky@ecs.org) is a Policy Analyst with the Education Commission of the States.

ECS is the only nationwide, nonpartisan interstate compact devoted to education.

ECS encourages its readers to share our information with others. To request permission to reprint or excerpt some of our

material, please contact the ECS Information Clearinghouse at 303.299.3675 or e-mail ecs@ecs.org.

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