Table A-1-2. Age range for compulsory school attendance and kindergarten programs, by state: Selected years, 2000

State

Compulsory age of attendance

Kindergarten education, 2008

2000

2002

2004

2006

2007

Attendance
required

School districts
required to offer

Half day

Full day

Alabama

7 to 16

¹

7 to 16

X

Alaska

7 to 16

¹

7 to 16

Arizona

6 to 16

¹

6 to 16

¹

6 to 16

¹

6 to 16

¹

6 to 16

¹

X

^2,3

Arkansas

5 to 17

¹

5 to 17

¹

5 to 17

X

California

6 to 18

¹

6 to 18

X

Colorado

—

7 to 16

6 to 17

X

Connecticut

7 to 16

7 to 18

¹

7 to 18

¹

5 to 18

⁴

5 to 18

⁴

X

Delaware

5 to 16

¹

5 to 16

X

⁵

District of Columbia

—

5 to 18

X

Florida

6 to 16

⁶

6 to 16

⁶

6 to 16

^1,6

6 to 16

⁶

6 to 16

⁶

X

Georgia

6 to 16

X

Hawaii

6 to 18

X

Idaho

7 to 16

Illinois

7 to 16

7 to 17

X

²

Indiana

7 to 16

7 to 18

¹

7 to 18

¹

X

Iowa

6 to 16

¹

6 to 16

¹

6 to 16

X

Kansas

7 to 18

¹

7 to 18

¹

7 to 18

¹

7 to 18

¹

7 to 18

¹

X

Kentucky

6 to 16

¹

6 to 16

X

Louisiana

7 to 17

¹

7 to 18

¹

7 to 18

¹

X

Maine

7 to 17

¹

7 to 17

¹

7 to 17

¹

X

Maryland

5 to 16

X

Massachusetts

6 to 16

¹

6 to 16

¹

X

Michigan

6 to 16

X

^2,7

Minnesota

7 to 18

¹

7 to 16

¹

7 to 16

¹

X

Mississippi

6 to 17

6 to 16

6 to 17

X

Missouri

7 to 16

X

Montana

7 to 16

¹

7 to 16

¹

7 to 16

¹

7 to 16

¹

7 to 16

¹

X

Nebraska

7 to 16

6 to 18

X

Nevada

7 to 17

^1,4

X

New Hampshire

6 to 16

New Jersey

6 to 16

New Mexico

5 to 18

¹

5 to 18

¹

5 to 18

¹

X

New York

6 to 16

¹

6 to 16

⁸

6 to 16

⁸

North Carolina

7 to 16

X

North Dakota

7 to 16

Ohio

6 to 18

X

²

Oklahoma

5 to 18

X

⁹

Oregon

7 to 18

¹

7 to 18

X

Pennsylvania

8 to 17

¹

8 to 17

¹

8 to 17

¹

Rhode Island

6 to 16

X

South Carolina

5 to 16

5 to 17

⁴

5 to 17

⁴

X

^2,3

South Dakota

6 to 16

⁴

X

Tennessee

6 to 17

⁴

6 to 17

⁴

X

Texas

6 to 18

X

Utah

6 to 18

X

Vermont

7 to 16

6 to 16

¹

6 to 16

¹

X

Virginia

5 to 18

¹

5 to 18

¹

X

Washington

8 to 17

¹

8 to 17

¹

8 to 16

¹

8 to 18

X

West Virginia

6 to 16

X

Wisconsin

6 to 18

X

Wyoming

6 to 16

¹

6 to 16

¹

7 to 16

¹

7 to 16

¹

7 to 16

¹

X

X State has policy.

— Not available.

¹ Child may be exempted from compulsory attendance if he/she meets state requirements for early withdrawal without meeting conditions for a diploma or equivalency.

² State requires either half-day or full-day program.

³ Districts may apply for exemptions from the requirement for full-day kindergarten.

⁴ Parent/guardian may request a waiver to delay entry to a later age per state law/regulation.

⁵ Full-day requirement becomes effective upon each district’s confirming vote and upon specific funding appropriation by the General Assembly.

⁶ Compulsory school age for all Manatee County students who turned 16 on or after October 1, 1999, is 18, except for students who earned a high school diploma prior to reaching their 18th birthday.

⁷ State requires a “program,” not necessarily a traditional kindergarten program.

⁸ New York City and Buffalo require school attendance until age 17 unless employed.

⁹ Beginning in 2011–12, with the option for districts to transfer intradistrict, interdistrict, or to a licensed child care provider.

SOURCE: Council of Chief State School Officers, Key State Education Policies on PK–12 Education, 2000, 2002, 2004, and 2006; 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 Procedures, retrieved May 22, 2007, from http://www.manatee.k12.fl.us/policy_procedure/pdfs/chapters/Chapter_5.pdf; “State Kindergarten Statutes: State Comparisons,” Education Commission of the States, 2007, retrieved June 19, 2007, from http://mb2.ecs.org/reports/Report.aspx?id=14, State Notes, “State Statutes Regarding Kindergarten,” Education Commission of the States, 2008; and supplemental information from several state education websites.

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