Going to School
Q: Why do kids have to go to school? An elementary student from Maryland
A: Great question! So let’s start with how public school as we know it started. Prior to the Civil War, education was not widely accessible. Wealthy white families sent their children to private schools and poor white families went without education.
Enslaved Black people were prevented from getting an education by laws and could be jailed or fined if they tried to learn to read or write.
After the Civil War, enslaved Black people were freed, and there was a brief period known as Reconstruction, during which rights were restored for Black people such as the right to vote. Newly elected Black congressmen (who had themselves been denied educational opportunity) helped to shape the modern school system so that all children could go to school.
States were required to say how they would make sure that all children in the state received an education in their state constitutions. At the same time, states passed laws requiring children to go to school--known as “compulsory” education laws.
That’s why children have to go to school!
To learn more about why we all have to attend school in America, teachers can check out this great resource from the National Center for Education Statistics, which outlines state compulsory education laws and the age requirements (up to what age one must attend school).
Requiring school attendance is to help ensure that more students have access to education to prepare them for participation in our nation’s democracy.
In a more practical approach, the more education one has, the higher the lifetime salary and the more choices in jobs or careers are available.