September 18, 1949
The Compulsory Education Law, which passed September 12, enters into law, requiring all children between the ages of 5 and 15 to attend a recognized educational institution. The law also establishes that children are “entitled to free elementary education at an official educational institution.”
While schools are free, parents purchase textbooks and pay school fees, which include things like field trips and extracurriculars.
The law also gives parents the right to choose an institution that belongs to a recognized educational trend; today Israel has separate secular and religious public schools as well as independent religious schools and schools for Arabs and Druze.
In 2009, the law is amended to extend compulsory education through 12th grade. In 2015 it is extended to 3- and 4-year-olds.
