When did education become compulsory?

The introduction of compulsory education laws, which require children to attend school, varies by country. In the United States, the first compulsory education law was enacted in Massachusetts in 1647. This law required towns with more than 50 families to hire a schoolmaster to teach reading and writing to children. In the decades that followed, other states in the US also passed compulsory education laws. Today, all 50 states in the US have compulsory education laws, and the minimum age for compulsory attendance ranges from 6 or 7 to 16 or 18, depending on the state.

In other countries, the introduction of compulsory education laws also occurred at different times. For example, in the United Kingdom, the first compulsory education law was the Education Act of 1870, which established free, compulsory education for children aged 5 to 10. In Australia, the first compulsory education law was the Education Act of 1872 in the state of Victoria, which made education compulsory for children aged 6 to 15. In Canada, compulsory education laws also vary by province, but generally, children are required to attend school from the ages of 6 or 7 until they are 16 or 18.