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Lawmaker Wants Earlier School Enrollment in PA

Across most of Pennsylvania, children aren’t required to go to school until they’re 8 years old, with a few exceptions.

But one state lawmaker is trying to change that.

Republican state Rep. Fred Keller of Union County said he wants to set the minimum compulsory age to 6 years old, the most common age minimum for school attendance in the country.

He said it seems like common sense to require earlier enrollment in schools.

"You know when you look at all the studies that show that the sooner you start working with children and you know they start learning and they’re in good programs, why, the better off they are in later years as far as success and learning and so forth," Keller said.

Philadelphia already has a 6-year-old compulsory age rule for school attendance.
    
The statewide rule has an exception.

It requires students enrolled in first grade before they reach 8 years old to continue on through grade school.
    
Enrollment can be at a traditional, charter or cyber charter public school, or an approved private school or homeschooling program.