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.