Compulsory education became a part of American childhood in 1852, when Massachusetts passed a law that required children in cities and towns to attend primary schooling. All states in America now include compulsory education laws, which provide people with essential education, but questions still linger about how much compulsory education actually helps. Education in the American school system should not make students go to school against their will, as the policy only hurts students in their academic career.

Every year, over 1.2 million kids drop out of high school, and 25 percent of freshmen fail to graduate on time. With that, in Georgia, only 78.8% of high school students graduate. So, a large part of the population does not need education all the way through high school. Some students drop out willingly, while others fail out of school. To me, no differences between the two options emerge. Students who dedicate themselves to graduating and understanding the material taught in schools will pass. Students who fail out of their classes do not dedicate themselves and, whether consciously or unconsciously, know they will fail.

People also call attention to the issue of personal freedom for citizens of the United States, as activists against compulsory education believe that it destroys choice. Advocates of free markets also believe that school and the privatization of education bring better quality education to kids and parents, similar to private colleges.

The United States’ Common Core system showcases the incompetency of the public school system and officials in Washington as school boards decide the curriculum for the entire American population. Common Core makes life in public education awful, with ridiculous rules and tyrannical government practices that allow officials to dumb down the general population through low standards. It encourages passiveness and obedience in the population, while also teaching kids they should not depart from the governmental system.

The federal government proposes funding school vouchers, which allow students to attend charter schools, as a fix for failing schools. While a novel idea, problems arise in implementation. Private schools will take advantage of the federal funding and hike their tuition up with no repercussions. Proponents argue that the free market will kick in and competition between public and private schools will lead to a better education for children, but less funding will cause public schools to weaken and most people who can sign up for vouchers may not know it. In Louisiana, the government passed a bill in 2012 that gave students access to vouchers. Of the estimated 380,000 eligible students, only about 3,000 applied and accepted the voucher. This idea may contain the potential to fix some problems associated with compulsory education, but school vouchers do not go far enough. By giving more school choice, students can feel better about their freedoms, but by completely stripping away compulsory education and having school choice, students will have actual freedoms in today’s America

By taking notes from a superior school system in Japan, America could become a leader in education. Japan includes compulsory school attendance, but only up to middle school. The competitive nature of Japanese education makes the students attending schools there want and need to impress others with high grades. Students there do not feel the bonds of compulsory attendance, and yet 98% of students go on to high school and do better than all of America. America does not need a requirement for students to pursue education past middle school to create a society ready and able to work.

The push for higher, non-compulsory education in America continues to pressure students as the expectation of college drives them further. College education gives students the opportunity to study a subject they enjoy, but does not confine them to laws requiring they attend. 64% of students that graduate high school apply and attend colleges all around the country because they want to study further. Furthermore, some students cannot go to school, as they need to take care of several responsibilities at home. The federal government disregards that, and punishes parents who chose not to make their children go to school, even if it means leaving the kids without money or caretakers.

As students flock to schools against their will, and government officials rub their hands together like an evil villain that just set their world domination plan in action, America today seems like a desolate place that still prides itself with the ‘freedoms’ everyone enjoys. By taking away this tyrannical practice, America could return back to its former glory. Though it may not seem like a major breach in our freedoms, compulsory education does set precedent for increasing tyranny by the federal government, and Americans today passively accept the fact as just a ‘part of life’. When the simple act of not attending a school becomes illegal, citizens can no longer call the country ‘free’.