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Digest of Education Statistics
2005 Tables and Figures All Years of Tables and Figures Most Recent Full Issue of the Digest


Table 147. Age range for compulsory school attendance, special education services, year-round schools, and kindergarten programs, by state: 1997, 2000, and 2002
_________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
                      |             |            |               |    Year-round schools,  |  Provision of kindergarten
                      |             |            |               |            2002         |        education, 2002
                      |             |            |     Compulsory|_________________________|_____________________________
                      |             |            |        special| Has policy|          Has| School districts|
                      |   Compulsory|  Compulsory|      education|   on year-|    districts|required to offer|
                      |  attendance,| attendance,|      services,|      round|   with year-|_________________| Attendance
State                 |         2000|        2002|        1997\1\|    schools|round schools|Half day|Full day|   required
______________________|_____________|____________|_______________|___________|_____________|________|________|___________
1                     |           2 |           3|              4|          5|            6|       7|       8|         9
______________________|_____________|____________|_______________|___________|_____________|________|________|___________
Alabama ..............|     7 to 16 |    7 to 16 |       6 to 21 |           |           X |        |      X |         X
Alaska ...............|     7 to 16 |    7 to 16 |       3 to 22 |           |           X |        |        |       ---
Arizona ..............|\2\  6 to 16 |\2\ 6 to 16 |       3 to 22 |       --- |             |      X |        |       ---
Arkansas .............|\3\  5 to 17 |\3\ 5 to 17 |       5 to 21 |         X |           X |        |      X |         X
California ...........|\4\  6 to 18 |    6 to 18 |   Birth to 21 |         X |           X |      X |        |
                      |             |            |               |           |             |        |        |
Colorado .............|         --- |        --- |       3 to 21 |       --- |             |        |        |       ---
Connecticut ..........|     7 to 16 |\5\ 7 to 18 |\6\   Under 21 |           |             |      X |        |
Delaware .............|\7\  5 to 16 |\7\ 5 to 16 |       3 to 20 |           |           X |      X |        |         X
District of Columbia .|         --- |    5 to 18 |           --- |       --- |             |        |        |
Florida ..............|\8\  6 to 16 |\8\ 6 to 16 |           --- |         X |           X |        |      X |
                      |             |            |               |           |             |        |        |
Georgia ..............|     6 to 16 |    6 to 16 |\6\   Under 21 |           |           X |        |      X |
Hawaii ...............|     6 to 18 |    6 to 18 |      Under 20 |         X |           X |        |      X |
Idaho ................|     7 to 16 |    7 to 16 |       3 to 21 |           |           X |        |        |
Illinois .............|     7 to 16 |    7 to 16 |       3 to 21 |         X |           X |        |        |
Indiana ..............|     7 to 16 |    7 to 16 |       3 to 22 |           |           X |      X |        |
                      |             |            |               |           |             |        |        |
Iowa .................| \9\ 6 to 16 |\9\ 6 to 16 |      Under 21 |         X |           X |       X|        |
Kansas ...............|\10\ 7 to 18 |\5\ 7 to 18 |        (\11\) |           |             |        |        |       ---
Kentucky .............|\12\ 6 to 16 |\12 6 to 16 |      Under 21 |         X |           X |      X |        |         X
Louisiana ............|     7 to 17 |    7 to 17 |       3 to 21 |           |           X |      X |        |
Maine ................|     7 to 17 |    7 to 17 |\13\   5 to 19 |           |           X |    --- |    --- |
                      |             |            |               |           |             |        |        |
Maryland .............|     5 to 16 |    5 to 16 |      Under 21 |           |           X |      X |        |         X
Massachusetts ........|     6 to 16 |    6 to 16 |       3 to 21 |           |             |      X |        |
Michigan .............|     6 to 16 |    6 to 16 |      Under 26 |         X |           X |      X |        |
Minnesota ............|\5\  7 to 18 |    7 to 16 |      Under 22 |         X |           X |       X|        |
Mississippi ..........|     6 to 17 |    6 to 17 |   Birth to 20 |           |           X |        |      X |
                      |             |            |               |           |             |        |        |
Missouri .............|     7 to 16 |    7 to 16 |      Under 21 |           |           X |       X|        |
Montana ..............|\14\ 7 to 16 |\14\7 to 16 |       3 to 18 |           |             |      X |        |
Nebraska .............|     7 to 16 |    7 to 16 |   Birth to 21 |           |             |\15\  X |        |
Nevada ...............|     7 to 17 |    7 to 17 |      Under 22 |         X |           X |      X |        |
New Hampshire ........|     6 to 16 |    6 to 16 |       3 to 21 |           |             |        |        |       ---
                      |             |            |               |           |             |        |        |
New Jersey ...........|     6 to 16 |    6 to 16 |       5 to 21 |       --- |           X |        |        |       ---
New Mexico ...........|     5 to 18 |    5 to 18 |        (\16\) |         X |           X |      X |        |         X
New York .............|\17\ 6 to 16 |    6 to 16 |      Under 21 |       --- |             |        |\18\  X |
North Carolina .......|     7 to 16 |    7 to 16 |       5 to 20 |         X |           X |        |\18\  X |
North Dakota .........|     7 to 16 |    7 to 16 |\19\   3 to 20 |           |             |        |        |
                      |             |            |               |           |             |        |        |
Ohio .................|     6 to 18 |    6 to 18 |      Under 22 |           |           X |       X|        |         X
Oklahoma .............|     5 to 18 |    5 to 18 |\20\   3 and up|         X |           X |\15\  X |        |         X
Oregon ...............|     7 to 18 |    7 to 18 |       3 to 21 |         X |           X |      X |        |
Pennsylvania .........|     8 to 17 |    8 to 17 |       6 to 21 |         X |           X |      X |        |
Rhode Island .........|     6 to 16 |    6 to 16 |       3 to 21 |           |             |      X |        |         X
                      |             |            |               |           |             |        |        |
South Carolina .......|     5 to 16 |    5 to 16 |       3 to 21 |           |             |        |      X |         X
South Dakota .........|     6 to 16 |    6 to 16 |      Under 21 |           |             |\15\  X |        |
Tennessee ............|     6 to 17 |    6 to 17 |       3 to 21 |           |           X |      X |        |         X
Texas ................|     6 to 18 |    6 to 18 |       3 to 21 |         X |           X |        |      X |
Utah .................|     6 to 18 |    6 to 18 |       3 to 22 |         X |           X |        |        |       ---
                      |             |            |               |           |             |        |        |
Vermont ..............|     7 to 16 |    6 to 16 |       3 to 21 |       --- |             |      X |        |
Virginia .............|     5 to 18 |    5 to 18 |       2 to 21 |           |           X |\15\  X |        |
Washington ...........|\5\  8 to 17 |\5\ 8 to 17 |\21\   3 to 21 |           |           X |      X |        |
West Virginia ........|     6 to 16 |    6 to 16 |       5 to 21 |         X |           X |        |      X |
Wisconsin ............|     6 to 18 |    6 to 18 |      Under 21 |           |           X |      X |        |
Wyoming ..............|\2\  6 to 16 |\2\ 6 to 16 |       3 to 21 |           |             |      X |        |
______________________|_____________|____________|_______________|___________|_____________|________|________|___________
X State has program.
---Not available.
\1\Most states have provision whereby education is provided up to a certain age or completion of secondary school, whichever comes first.
\2\Ages 6 to 16 or 10th-grade completion.
\3\Must have turned 17 by October 1.
\4\At least 16 and have graduated high school or passed California High School Proficiency Exam (CHSPE) and obtained parental permission.
\5\Eligible for waiver.
\6\Under 21 or until child graduates from high school.
\7\Must have turned 5 by August 31.
\8\Compulsory school age for all Manatee County students who attained the age of 16 on or after October 1, 1999, is 18, unless the student has earned a high school diploma prior to reaching the 18th birthday.
\9\Must have turned 16 by September 15.
\10\Eligible for waiver at 16.
\11\To be determined by rules and regulations adopted by the state board.
\12\Must have turned 6 by October 1.
\13\Must be 5 before October 1, and not 20 before start of school year.
\14\Age 16 and completion of eighth grade.
\15\State requires either half-day or full-day program.
\16\School-age unless otherwise provided by law.
\17\Age 16 and completion of school year.
\18\State requires both half-day and full-day program.
\19\Must not be 21 by September 1.
\20\Children from birth through age 2 are eligible for additional services. Eligibility for special education
services ceases upon completion of a secondary education program; no age limit.
\21\Student may complete school year if 21st birthday occurs while attending school.
NOTE: The Education of the Handicapped Act (EHA) Amendments of 1986 make it mandatory for all states receiving
EHA funds to serve all 3- to 18-year-old disabled children.
SOURCE: Council of Chief State School Officers, Key State Education Policies on PK-12 Education: 2000 and 2002;
Education Commission of the States, Clearinghouse Notes, August 1997; California Department of Education, Safe
Schools and Violence Prevention Office, School Attendance Review Boards, Feb. 2001; School District of Manatee
County Policy and Procedure Manual: Chapter 5 - Students, retrieved on May 4, 2005, from the School District of
Manatee County (http://www.manatee.k12.fl.us/manatee/policy_procedure/table_noframes.html). (This table was
prepared May 2005.)

2005 Tables and Figures All Years of Tables and Figures Most Recent Full Issue of the Digest