The Capitol Building bustles with lawmakers and lobbyists on the first day of the 2020 legislative session in Atlanta on Jan. 13. 

ATLANTA — Lawmakers want to raise the high school dropout age.

A group of Democrats are leading an effort to raise the high school dropout age from the current 16 years to 17 years old, hoping to discourage students from dropping out of school.

Rep. Erica Thomas, D- Austell, the lead sponsor, said she wants to keep youth in the education system.

“We want to keep our kids in school and away from the perils of the streets,” Thomas said in a statement. “Now is the time to support our students and put them on a path to graduation.”

Georgia is one of a handful of states that still has 16 as the maximum mandatory age of attendance. Other states have raised the age anywhere from 17 to 19 years old.

A fiscal note from the governor’s Office of Planning and Budget said the single year change would cost the state $19 million annually. 


According to the Department of Education, between October 2018 and 2019, more than 4,500 16-year-old students dropped out of school.

An increase in enrollment by raising the dropout age, the office said, is not expected to have a big enough impact on local school systems to require immediate funds.

It is not yet clear how the law will affect 16-year-old students who have dropped out prior to the legislation being enacted.