The youngest age you can drop out of school in the US is 16.
However some states you can only drop out of school at 17 or 18.
It is okay to not go to school sometimes such as when you have a doctors appointment, are sick or have a family emergency etc.
But you should attend school as often as you can as it's mandatory and can get you into trouble as well as your parents and it can set you back and make you have to retake the class again next year in the same grade.
The length of time a child can go without being in school depends on the state but for most states the length of time a child can go without being in school is 5 days before they are reported to the authorities.
It is illegal to not send your child to school in America.
Once your child is age 5 or 6 when Kindergarten starts they must be enrolled in school and attend school by law or be home schooled.
Kindergarten is mandatory in the US.
The age that school is mandatory in the US is age 5 or Kindergarten age.
If the child is 5 before Kindergarten starts then they must be enrolled in Kindergarten but if they are not 5 by the time Kindergarten starts for the year then they don't have to attend Kindergarten until the next year which can be when they are 5 and 1/2 to 6 years of age.
Preschool is not required but Kindergarten is and the child must attend school by law until age 18 in most states unless they drop out by age 16.
If you never send your child to school or at least home school the child then you can face jail time, fines, have social and child services step in and even have your child taken away from you and put into foster care.
You can be charged with child neglect if you fail to send your child to school or force them to have an education through home schooling.
What actually happens and the actual penalties for not sending your child to school can vary from state to state and from location to location as laws can differ in different states and countries on school attendance.
If a child doesn't go to school then the parent can face fines as well as possible jail time and even have their child taken away or at least have children services step in and show up at your house.
By law children must attend school or be home schooled and failing to do so can get the parents into serious trouble.
In America you can miss up to 10 days of school year unless they are excused or you have to miss the days for medical appointments or other extreme circumstances.
If you miss 5 days of school then your parents or legal guardians will be notified and social services may also intervene and the parents may face criminal charges or civil penalties.
For purposes of determining chronic absenteeism the legislation allows up to 5 excused absences and additional absences for medical appointments, religious holidays and other specific circumstances if the student has an approved form of documentation like a signed note from a doctor or parent or guardian.
Excessive absences are defined as 2 or more occurrences of unexcused absences in a 30 day period which will result in disciplinary action.
For example when a student has had ten (10) unexcused absences in a school year, the student is identified as a Habitual Truant and the student's attendance records will be flagged (HT).
Chronic absenteeism means missing too much school—for any reason—excused or unexcused.
Experts and a growing number of states define chronic absenteeism as missing 10% (or around 18 days) during a school year.
Students who miss more than 18 days of school are less proficient in reading, writing and math compared to their peers with good attendance.
The average school year for most schools across the country is 180 days long, which means that a chronically absent student typically misses at least 18 days of school or at least two days per month.
The most common reason for chronic absenteeism is illnesses or injuries which render the child unable to attend school normally.
While unavoidable, the child and their parents should try their best to minimize the chances of illnesses and accidents as much as they can.
Attending school is mandatory until you reach 18 years of age and not attending school can get you as a student and your parents in trouble.
Parents that actively help kids skip school or don't make their kids go to school can face jail time as well.