Tex. Educ. Code § 25.085 · Subchapter C. OPERATION OF SCHOOLS AND SCHOOL ATTENDANCE
COMPULSORY SCHOOL ATTENDANCE.
Text — Current through the 89th 2nd Called Legislative Session, 2025
(a) A child who is required to attend school under this section shall attend school each school day for the entire period the program of instruction is provided.
(b) Unless specifically exempted by Section 25.086, a child who is at least six years of age, or who is younger than six years of age and has previously been enrolled in first grade, and who has not yet reached the child's 19th birthday shall attend school.
(c) On enrollment in prekindergarten or kindergarten, a child shall attend school.
(d) Unless specifically exempted by Section 25.086, a student enrolled in a school district must attend:
(1) an extended-year program for which the student is eligible that is provided by the district for students identified as likely not to be promoted to the next grade level or tutorial classes required by the district under Section 29.084;
(2) a reading intervention program to which the student is assigned under Section 28.0064;
(3) an accelerated instruction program to which the student is assigned under Section 28.0211;
(4) a basic skills program to which the student is assigned under Section 29.086; or
(5) a summer program provided under Section 37.008(l) or Section 37.021.
(e) A person who voluntarily enrolls in school or voluntarily attends school after the person's 19th birthday shall attend school each school day for the entire period the program of instruction is offered. A school district may revoke for the remainder of the school year the enrollment of a person who has more than five absences in a semester that are not excused under Section 25.087, except a school district may not revoke the enrollment of a person under this subsection on a day on which the person is physically present at school. A person whose enrollment is revoked under this subsection may be considered an unauthorized person on school district grounds for purposes of Section 37.107.
(f) The board of trustees of a school district may adopt a policy requiring a person described by Subsection (e) who is under 21 years of age to attend school until the end of the school year. Section 65.003(a), Family Code, does not apply to a person subject to a policy adopted under this subsection. Sections 25.093 and 25.095 do not apply to the parent of a person subject to a policy adopted under this subsection.
(g) After the third unexcused absence of a person described by Subsection (e), a school district shall issue a warning letter to the person that states the person's enrollment may be revoked for the remainder of the school year if the person has more than five unexcused absences in a semester.
(h) As an alternative to revoking a person's enrollment under Subsection (e), a school district may impose a behavior improvement plan described by Section 25.0915(a-1)(1).
(i) Notwithstanding any other provision of this section, a student enrolled in a school district is not required to attend school for any additional instructional days described by Section 48.0051.
Notes and commentary — not statutory text
History
Added by Acts 1995, 74th Leg., ch. 260, Sec. 1, eff. May 30, 1995. Amended by Acts 1997, 75th Leg., ch. 1019, Sec. 2, eff. Sept. 1, 1997; Acts 1999, 76th Leg., ch. 396, Sec. 2.10, eff. Sept. 1, 1999; Acts 1999, 76th Leg., ch. 711, Sec. 1, eff. June 18, 1999; Acts 2003, 78th Leg., ch. 1055, Sec. 3, eff. June 20, 2003.
Amended by:
Acts 2007, 80th Leg., R.S., Ch. 50 (H.B. 566), Sec. 1, eff. May 10, 2007.
Acts 2007, 80th Leg., R.S., Ch. 850 (H.B. 1137), Sec. 2, eff. June 15, 2007.
Acts 2015, 84th Leg., R.S., Ch. 935 (H.B. 2398), Sec. 7, eff. September 1, 2015.
Acts 2019, 86th Leg., R.S., Ch. 943 (H.B. 3), Sec. 2.011, eff. September 1, 2020.
Acts 2025, 89th Leg., R.S., Ch. 1065 (H.B. 2), Sec. 5.07, eff. June 20, 2025.
Source of truth
- Edition
- Current through the 89th 2nd Called Legislative Session, 2025
- Official file
- https://statutes.capitol.texas.gov/Docs/ED/htm/ED.25.htm
- Text hash
- sha256 76f139f5e3155c658b1995afe895431aebb62355aa040bfc82815c624711c2e6
- Composed by
- compose_tx.py 2026-10-05: the Legislative Council's chapter files read in document order; verify_tx.py's independent reading (lxml DOM walk) agrees character for character
This section cites
Provisions in this library that the text above cites, as it prints each citation. A range cited as “ss. 61.13-61.16” links its first and last provisions.
Education Code
- Tex. Educ. Code § 25.086EXEMPTIONS.Printed as Section 25.086
- Tex. Educ. Code § 25.087EXCUSED ABSENCES.Printed as Section 25.087
- Tex. Educ. Code § 25.0915TRUANCY PREVENTION MEASURES.Printed as Section 25.0915
- Tex. Educ. Code § 25.093PARENT CONTRIBUTING TO NONATTENDANCE.Printed as Sections 25.093 and 25.095
- Tex. Educ. Code § 25.095WARNING NOTICES.Printed as Sections 25.093 and 25.095
- Tex. Educ. Code § 28.0064EARLY LITERACY INTERVENTION FOR CERTAIN STUDENTS.Printed as Section 28.0064
- Tex. Educ. Code § 28.0211ACCELERATED INSTRUCTION; MODIFIED TEACHER ASSIGNMENT.Printed as Section 28.0211
- Tex. Educ. Code § 29.084TUTORIAL SERVICES.Printed as Section 29.084
- Tex. Educ. Code § 29.086BASIC SKILLS PROGRAMS FOR HIGH SCHOOL STUDENTS.Printed as Section 29.086
- Tex. Educ. Code § 37.008DISCIPLINARY ALTERNATIVE EDUCATION PROGRAMS.Printed as Section 37.008(l)
- Tex. Educ. Code § 37.021OPPORTUNITY TO COMPLETE COURSES DURING IN-SCHOOL AND CERTAIN OTHER PLACEMENTS.Printed as Section 37.021
- Tex. Educ. Code § 37.107TRESPASS ON SCHOOL GROUNDS.Printed as Section 37.107
- Tex. Educ. Code § 48.0051INCENTIVE FOR ADDITIONAL INSTRUCTIONAL DAYS.Printed as Section 48.0051
Cited by 14 provisions
Provisions in this library whose text cites Tex. Educ. Code § 25.085. Each shows the citation as that text prints it.
Education Code
- Tex. Educ. Code § 12.013APPLICABILITY OF TITLE.Printed as Sections 25.085, 25.086, and 25.087
- Tex. Educ. Code § 25.087EXCUSED ABSENCES.Printed as Section 25.085(e)
- Tex. Educ. Code § 25.091POWERS AND DUTIES OF PEACE OFFICERS AND OTHER ATTENDANCE OFFICERS.Printed as Section 25.085
- Tex. Educ. Code § 29.081COMPENSATORY, INTENSIVE, AND ACCELERATED INSTRUCTION.Printed as Section 25.085
- Tex. Educ. Code § 37.023TRANSITION FROM ALTERNATIVE EDUCATION PROGRAM TO REGULAR CLASSROOM.Printed as Section 25.085
- Tex. Educ. Code § 48.009REQUIRED PEIMS REPORTING.Printed as Section 25.085
- Tex. Educ. Code § 54.361ONE-YEAR EXEMPTION FOR CERTAIN TANF STUDENTS.Printed as Section 25.085
- Tex. Educ. Code § 111.86HIGH SCHOOL COOPERATIVE EDUCATION PROGRAM.Printed as Section 25.085
- Tex. Educ. Code § 132.002EXEMPTIONS.Printed as Section 25.085
Family Code
Labor Code
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