Bill Requiring Teens Stay In School Advances

New Jersey teenagers would have to stay in school until they're 18 under a bill approved by a state Senate committee.

State law requires those between 6 and 16 to regularly attend school. Several states have sought to raise the age limit to reduce the drop-out rate.

The bill approved Monday by the Senate's Education Committee now heads to the full Senate for a vote.

Mandatory school attendance laws vary from state to state, generally starting at age 5, 6 or 7 and ending between 16 and 18.

Some allow students to leave school -- with consent of a parent or principal -- before they reach the state's required age

New Jersey has one of the nation's highest graduation rates, with about 87 percent of high school students receiving diplomas.

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