Compulsory education laws require that all children MUST start public school by a certain age – and continue attending until the age of 18. Compulsory school laws also offer maturity waivers. These waivers allow parents to opt out of starting public school for the first year.

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Reasons to file a maturity waiver for a child varies. Some parents like the extra year at home because they don’t think their child is ready for the structure and stress of a classroom setting. Other parents see the maturity waiver as a chance to give homeschooling a try without worrying about state compliance issues.

Important Points About Maturity Waivers

  • Filing a kindergarten maturity waiver allows you to keep you child home for an extra year while they continue to grow and mature. As the parent, you can provide your child with structured or unstructured field trips, enrichment projects, or even specific learning opportunities.

  • Regardless of what you do during your maturity waiver year, your local public school will not automatically grade skip your child into 1st grade the following year. Children who enter public school after a maturity waiver year enroll as kindergarten students.

  • Your child will be considered truant if you fail to file a maturity waiver before the school year starts AND they do not attend kindergarten. Avoid that hassle and file your paperwork by August 1st.

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Last modified on April 15, 2020