Official entrance age to compulsory education in United States
United States: Official entrance age to compulsory education was 6 in 2025. ▬ Flat
Latest (2025)
6
Change on year
unchanged
World rank
21st
of 200 countries
All-time high
6
in 1998
All-time low
6
in 1998
Years of data
28
1998–2025
Official entrance age to compulsory education in United States, 1998–2025
Source: Our World in Data.
Analysis
United States recorded 6 for official entrance age to compulsory education in 2025. That is the highest value across all 28 years on record.
That represents a change of unchanged over ten years.
Over the whole period, official entrance age to compulsory education in United States peaked at 6 in 1998 and was at its lowest, 6, in 1998.
That places United States 21st out of 200 countries with data for 2025, putting it in the top quarter.
Official entrance age to compulsory education in United States, year by year
| Year | Value | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1998 | 6 | — |
| 1999 | 6 | +0.0% |
| 2000 | 6 | +0.0% |
| 2001 | 6 | +0.0% |
| 2002 | 6 | +0.0% |
| 2003 | 6 | +0.0% |
| 2004 | 6 | +0.0% |
| 2005 | 6 | +0.0% |
| 2006 | 6 | +0.0% |
| 2007 | 6 | +0.0% |
| 2008 | 6 | +0.0% |
| 2009 | 6 | +0.0% |
| 2010 | 6 | +0.0% |
| 2011 | 6 | +0.0% |
| 2012 | 6 | +0.0% |
| 2013 | 6 | +0.0% |
| 2014 | 6 | +0.0% |
| 2015 | 6 | +0.0% |
| 2016 | 6 | +0.0% |
| 2017 | 6 | +0.0% |
| 2018 | 6 | +0.0% |
| 2019 | 6 | +0.0% |
| 2020 | 6 | +0.0% |
| 2021 | 6 | +0.0% |
| 2022 | 6 | +0.0% |
| 2023 | 6 | +0.0% |
| 2024 | 6 | +0.0% |
| 2025 | 6 | +0.0% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1990s | 6 | 6 | 6 | 2 |
| 2000s | 6 | 6 | 6 | 10 |
| 2010s | 6 | 6 | 6 | 10 |
| 2020s | 6 | 6 | 6 | 6 |
Countries ranked near United States
- 21 Albania 6 compare
- 21 Algeria 6 compare
- 21 Andorra 6 compare
- 21 Armenia 6 compare
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- 21 Brunei 6 compare
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- 21 Central African Republic 6 compare
- 21 Chad 6 compare
- 21 Chile 6 compare
- 21 China 6 compare
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- 21 Denmark 6 compare
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- 21 Eritrea 6 compare
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- 21 Gabon 6 compare
- 21 Georgia 6 compare
- 21 Germany 6 compare
- 21 Guinea-Bissau 6 compare
- 21 Guyana 6 compare
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- 21 Iceland 6 compare
- 21 India 6 compare
- 21 Iran 6 compare
- 21 Iraq 6 compare
- 21 Ireland 6 compare
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- 21 Jamaica 6 compare
- 21 Japan 6 compare
- 21 Jordan 6 compare
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- 21 Libya 6 compare
- 21 Lithuania 6 compare
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- 21 Senegal 6 compare
- 21 Seychelles 6 compare
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- 21 Singapore 6 compare
- 21 Slovenia 6 compare
- 21 Somalia 6 compare
- 21 South Korea 6 compare
- 21 South Sudan 6 compare
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- 21 Syria 6 compare
- 21 Thailand 6 compare
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More education data for United States
- Theoretical duration of upper secondary education (years), annual 0 % change on previous year (2025)
- Theoretical duration of secondary education (years), annual growth 0 % change on previous year (2025)
- Start of the academic school year (tertiary education), gaps filled 2,022 tertiary education (2023)
- Start of the academic school year (tertiary education), annual growth 0.0495 % change on previous year (2023)
- Primary education, teachers, gaps filled 1.78 million (2023)
- Duration of pre primary education, annual growth rate 0 % change on previous year (2025)
- Duration of pre primary education 3 (2025)
- Official entrance age to pre primary education 3 (2025)
- Population ages 15-64 64.5% (2025)
- Population ages 0-14 17.1% (2025)
Frequently asked questions
- What is official entrance age to compulsory education in United States?
- Official entrance age to compulsory education in United States was 6 in 2025, according to Our World in Data.
- What is the highest official entrance age to compulsory education recorded in United States?
- The highest recorded value was 6 in 1998.
- What is the lowest official entrance age to compulsory education recorded in United States?
- The lowest recorded value was 6 in 1998.
- How does United States rank for official entrance age to compulsory education?
- United States ranks 21st out of 200 countries with data for 2025.
- Is official entrance age to compulsory education rising or falling in United States?
- Over the last ten years it is unchanged. The long-run trend across the full record is flat.
- Where does this United States data come from?
- The figures come from Our World in Data, published as part of Official entrance age to compulsory education. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
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