All states require children of a given age range to attend school, whether it is public, private, religious, or home school. These compulsory education laws are intended to make sure parents enroll their children in school and make sure they attend.
As such, parents who fail to enroll their children or allow them to miss substantial time at school face criminal sanctions, typically after administrative attempts through the school district prove unsuccessful. Truancy laws, meanwhile, hold students accountable for skipping school. Parents who choose to home school their child must provide a similar curriculum and comparable time commitment to that of a public school program.
Alaska Compulsory Education Laws at a Glance
Children between the ages of seven and 16 are required to attend school in Alaska, with a few exceptions. For example, children living more than two miles from a public transportation route are exempt from this requirement.
Learn more about compulsory education laws in Alaska, including exemptions and home school requirements, in the following chart.
| Code Section | 14.30.010, et seq. |
| Age at Which School Attendance is Required | Between 7 and 16 |
| Exceptions to Attendance Requirements | Comparable education provided through religious or private school or tutoring; attends school operated by federal government; child has physical/mental condition making attendance impractical; child is in custody of court or law enforcement officer; child is temporarily ill or injured, resides over 2 miles from a route for public transportation, or has completed the 12th grade or is suspended or denied admittance under 14.30.045; child is enrolled in an approved correspondence study or is well-served by an educational experience of another kind that is approved |
| Home School Provisions | Tutoring by personnel certified according to §14.20.020 who holds bachelor's degree from accredited institution among other requirements |
| Penalties on Parents for Noncompliance | Knowing noncompliance is violation with fine up to $300; every 5 days of noncompliance is separate violation |
Note: State laws may change at any time, most often through the enactment of newly signed legislation but sometimes through higher court decisions or other means. You may wnat to contact an Alaska health care attorney or conduct your own legal research to verify the state law(s) you are researching.
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Alaska Compulsory Education Laws: Related Resources
