At What Age is School Mandatory in Washington State?

If you are anything like me, you have no idea about some things that come along with being a first-time parent. Heck, even if you are a seasoned parent, it's still full of questions.

One of the subjects I seem to have the most questions about is, Schooling.

• What school should my child go to?
• Will she make friends?
• What's the lunch menu like?
• How well do they communicate with parents?

And then some...

My first question was,

How old does my child have to be to attend school?

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Pretty important question to have the answer to.

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"Washington's “compulsory attendance law” starts at age 8. Parents can choose whether to send their younger children to school. If a parent decides to enroll a child who is 6 or 7, then the student must attend school regularly, on time, unless there is a valid excuse (or the parent decides to remove them from school)"- Source

When kids can start public school in Washington:

"Children have a right to access free public school starting at age 5!" - Source

What happens if my child doesn't go to school?

Legal matters will step into play. More specifically...

"When a child doesn't attend school as required by law, he or she is considered truant. That's when the juvenile court system gets involved." - Source

In other words, get those kids in school.

My little one started going to kindergarten at the age of 5, and she absolutely loves school.

How do we know which year the child should start school?

In regard to kindergarten:

"...the district shall have the option of placing the child in either kindergarten or the first grade for evaluation in the areas specified in WAC 392-335-025 and a final determination of the child's appropriate grade level placement no later than the thirtieth calendar day following the child's first day of attendance." - Source

And in regard to First Grade:

"WAC 392-335-015 Uniform entry age for first grade. Except as provided in WAC 392-335-020 and 392-335-025, a child must be six years of age as of midnight August 31 of the year of entry to be entitled to enter first grade. " - Source

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Are we on the same page? Kind of? Just enjoy being a parent, you'll get the unsolicited parenting advice about school, all the time.

When does school start in Wenatchee?

School starts soon, so don't miss these dates:

• Wenatchee School District: August 28
• Eastmont School District: August 28
• Cashmere School District: August 28 (Grades 2-12), August 30 (Grade 1)