From the ECS State Policy Database Attendance--Statutory Ages (Upper and Lower)

This database is made possible by your state's fiscal support of the Education Commission of the States (ECS). Most entries are legislative, although rules/regulations and executive orders that make substantive changes are included. Every effort is made to collect the latest available version of policies; in some instances, recent changes might not be reflected. For expediency purposes minimal attention has been paid to style (capitalization, punctuation) and format. Please cite use of the database as: Education Commission of the States (ECS) State Policy Database, retrieved [date]. State Status/Date Level Summary ME Became law without governor's signature 07/2013 P-12 Changes Required in State Board Amendments to Unified Special Education Regulation Birth to Age 20 H.R. 232 The State Board of Education made a major substantive rule change to the Maine Unified Special Education Regulation Birth to Age Twenty, an action requiring legislative review. This bill authorizes this action contingent on several conditions: 1. Strike the ... More... NE Signed into law 05/2013 P-12 Change in Kindergarten Cut-Off Age L.B. 410 - School Entrance The cutoff date remains five years on or before July 31 of the calendar year in which the school year for which the child is seeking admission begins. However, this bill changes from allowing to requiring admission of children who turn 5 between August 1 and ... More... TN Signed into law 05/2012 P-12 Kindergarten Age H.B. 2566 Sets kindergarten entrance age. Children entering kindergarten shall be five years of age on or before August 31 for the 2013-2014 school year and on or before August 15 for all school years thereafter. http://state.tn.us/sos/acts/107/pub/pc0991.pdf... More... HI Signed into law 06/2010 P-12 School Entry Barred After Age 20 H.B. 2077 Repeals portion of section 302A-1134 that barred a student age 17 or older from entering grade 9, and that barred a student age 18 or older from entering grade 10. Replaces with language that provides that no student who is age 20 or older on the first instruc... More... IL Signed into law 01/2010 P-12 Professional Development for Department of Human Services Staff; 1st Grade Start Age for Certain Students H.B. 806 Requires the department of human services to operate a comprehensive professional development system called the Gateways to Opportunity program. Directs the department of human services to award Gateways to Opportunity credentials to early care and education, ... More... WI Signed into law 10/2009 P-12 A.B. 119 Beginning on September 1, 2011, a school board may not enroll a child in the first grade in a school in the school district, including in a charter school located in the school district, unless the child has completed 5-year-old kindergarten. Requires each sch... More... ND Signed into law 08/2009 P-12 Entrance Ages, Upper Statutory Age H.B. 1378 Modifies 15.1-06-01. Changes the cut-off date for enrollment in grade one from September first to August first. For kindergarten, the cut-off date changes from five by September first of the year of enrollment to August first. Provides exception for children w... More... IL Signed into law 08/2007 P-12 Compulsory School Age S.B. 543 Requires a person having custody or control of a child who is below the compulsory school age but enrolled in kindergarten in a public school to cause the child to attend the public school. http://www.ilga.gov/legislation/95/SB/PDF/09500SB0543lv.pdf... More... IL Signed into law 07/2007 P-12 Upper Statutory Age for a Student with Disabilities H.B. 817 In the definition of children with disabilities, provides that an eligible student who requires continued public school educational experience to facilitate his or her successful transition and integration into adult life is eligible for special education serv... More... OR Signed into law 06/2007 P-12 Defines "Person in Parental Relationship" S.B. 215 Defines "Person in parental relationship" as an adult who has physical custody of a child or resides in the same household as the child, interacts with the child daily, provides the child with food, clothing, shelter and incidental necessaries and provides the... More... NC Signed into law 06/2007 P-12 School Admission Requirements H.B. 150 Modifies school admission requirements. Moves cut-off date for enrollment to August 31 from October 16. http://www.ncga.state.nc.us/Sessions/2007/Bills/House/HTML/H150v0.html... More... TX Signed into law 05/2007 P-12 Permitting Attendance of Students to Age 26 H.B. 1137 Permits students who are at least 21 years of age and under 26 years of age on the first day of September of any school year to be eligible for funding under the Foundation School Program for the purposes of completing the requirements for a high school diplom... More... WA Signed into law 04/2007 P-12 Alternative Pathways to a Diploma H.B. 1051 Finds that the state's commitment to providing a basic education for all public school students under the age of twenty-one should continue until a student earns a diploma. Therefore the legislature intends to expand high school completion programs at communit... More... AR Signed into law 03/2007 P-12 kindergarten entrance age S.B. 217 Lowers the age of enrollment in kindergarten in public school from 5 by September 1 in 2009-2010, for the 2010-2011 school year the cutoff age would be August 15; 2011-2012 and afterwards, 5 on or before August 1 of the year they are seeking initial enrollment... More... SD Signed into law 03/2007 P-12 Kindergarten Attendance S.B. 33 Amends 13-28-2 to read: Any child who is five years old on the first day of September is eligible for enrollment in kindergarten during that school year. Any child who is six years old by September first is eligible for enrollment in first grade during that sc... More... NV Adopted 01/2006 P-12 Maximum Age for a High Schooler NAC 387.345 Establishes rules regarding maximum age for a high school pupil in Nevada -- to allow for basic support apportionment for pupils who are over the normal age of a high school senior where an 18, 19 or 20 year old may need an extra year to complete required cred... More... CO Signed into law 04/2005 P-12 High School Dropout Parental Notice S.B. 164 Requires districts to provide written notification to parents of a high school dropout who is not subject to compulsory education laws. States that the notice should have the goal of attempting to return the student to school and of conveying ot the student's ... More... IL Signed into law 01/2005 P-12 School Code H.B. 757 Amends the Children with Disabilities Article of the School Code to allow a child with a disability who has completed four years of high school to participate in the graduation ceremony and receive a certificate of completion under specified circumstances. Fur... More... IL Signed into law 08/2004 P-12 Compulsory School Age; Alternative Education S.B. 2918 Increases the compulsory school age from 16 to 17 years of age, with exceptions. Provides that certain provisions that apply to truant officers apply to the regional superintendent of schools or his designee in a school district that does not have a truant off... More... IL Signed into law 07/2004 P-12 Student Enrollment S.B. 2115 Amends the School Code. Allows a school or school district to deny enrollment to a student 16 years of age or older for one semester for failure to meet minimum academic or attendance standards if certain conditions are met. Requires a district to identify, tr... More... KS Signed into law 05/2004 P-12 Postsec. Compulsory Attendance Exemption for Concurrently Enrolled Students H.B. 2795 (multiple provisions) Section 1: Allows student age 16 or 17 to be exempt from compulsory attendance requirements if student is regularly enrolled in a school and is concurrently enrolled in a postsecondary educational institution. Makes provisions applicable to children from and ... More... RI Signed into law 07/2003 P-12 First Grade Entrance Age S.B. 593 This act would provide that a child, who has or will have completed six (6) years of life on or before September 1, rather than December 1, of any school year, shall be eligible to attend first grade. This act would take effect on January 1, 2006.... More... ME Signed into law 05/2003 P-12 Enrollment Age EligibilitySAME AS: 592 S.P. 201 Regards age eligibility for enrollment in a public secondary school; authorizes the Commissioner of Education to waive on a case-by-case basis waivers of age requirements to allow students who have reached 20 years of age before the start of the school year to... More... MS Signed into law 03/2003 P-12 Minimum Compulsory School Age S.B. 2394 Provides that the Compulsory School Attendance Law shall apply to any 5-year-old as of September 1st of an academic year, and who is already enrolled in a full-day public school kindergarten program (minimum compulsory school age remains 6 for those children w... More...