A bill that would have required all California families to enroll their children in kindergarten was rejected by the state Legislature on Thursday, the latest of several failed attempts over the years to make the grade compulsory.
The legislation, AB 2226, aimed to mandate the state’s youngest students attend kindergarten before being admitted to the first grade. According to the California Department of Education, 95% of students already attend kindergarten, though it is not required.
Instead, students are required to attend school when they turn 6 years old — and it’s up to families if they start in kindergarten or go straight to first grade.
More than 14,000 California students skipped kindergarten in the 2022-23 school year, the Department of Education estimates.
Proponents of the bill, including the Los Angeles Unified School District and the California Teachers Assn., pointed to research that shows…
