Is Kindergarten Mandatory in Washington? What It Means If Your Child Is in ABA

Is kindergarten mandatory in Washington? No. Washington’s compulsory school attendance law starts at age 8, so a 5-year-old does not have to go to kindergarten. For families of autistic children, that leaves real room to choose: kindergarten this fall, a year of full-day ABA first, or something in between.

There is one catch that surprises people, and it has to do with 6- and 7-year-olds. Here is what the law says and how families we work with plan around it.

At what age is school mandatory in Washington?

Age 8. RCW 28A.225.010 requires parents of any child “eight years of age and under eighteen years of age” to have the child attend public school for the full time school is in session. The exceptions include an approved private school, home-based instruction, and a child the superintendent excuses because the child is physically or mentally unable to attend.

Kindergarten itself is voluntary. The state funds all-day kindergarten in every district, at least 1,000 instructional hours a year, but it describes those programs as voluntary. A 5-year-old who never enrolls is not truant.

The only entry requirement is age. Under WAC 392-335-010, a child must be 5 by midnight on August 31 to be entitled to start kindergarten that year.

The 6- and 7-year-old rule

Once you enroll a 6- or 7-year-old in public school, attendance becomes required. RCW 28A.225.015 says that if a parent enrolls a child who is six or seven, the child “is required to attend” for the full time school is in session.

That means the truancy steps apply: a notice after one unexcused absence in a month, a conference after three, and a court petition after more. If your plan was to enroll your child and then keep them home three mornings a week for ABA, check the attendance rules first.

The same law gives you two outs:

• You can formally withdraw a child who is under 8, as long as no truancy petition has been filed against you.
• The rule does not cover a child enrolled part time to receive ancillary services, such as speech therapy or other special education services at the school.

The law also states plainly that it does not require a 6- or 7-year-old to enroll anywhere.

Kindergarten, full-day ABA, or both?

Families usually end up on one of three paths. None is the right answer for every child.

Start kindergarten on time. This makes sense when your child can handle a group of 20 or more children, follow most classroom routines with support, and communicate basic needs to an adult who is not a parent. The IEP and the classroom supports carry most of the load. ABA, if it continues, often moves to after school.

Spend a year in full-day ABA first, then start school. This is common for children who still need intensive one-on-one teaching in communication, safety, or toileting, or whose behavior would make a classroom day very hard. Because school is not required until 8, a 5-year-old can spend kindergarten age in a full-day ABA program and start school at 6 in first grade or, by agreement with the district, in kindergarten. Under WAC 392-335-015, first grade is for children who are 6 by August 31, so talk to the district early about placement.

Combine them. Some children attend part of the school day and spend the rest in ABA. This works best when the school team and the ABA team plan it together and the goals line up, for example when the ABA program is teaching the exact classroom skills the IEP team wants to see.

Questions that point to the right path

When we help families think this through, these questions come up most:

• Can your child communicate in a busy room? Asking for help, saying no, telling an adult they need the bathroom. Kindergarten classrooms move fast and do not have one adult for each child.
• What does a hard moment look like? If your child’s distress can lead to running, hitting, or self-injury, the plan for those moments matters more than the curriculum.
• Is your child toilet trained? Schools have to support children who are not, but it shapes the day.
• How does your child do in a group? Waiting for a turn, sitting through a short lesson, moving with the class from one place to the next.
• What does your child’s BCBA recommend, and why? A good recommendation names specific skills and a timeline, not just a number of hours.
• What will your district offer? Ask what the kindergarten classroom looks like, what support staff are available, and whether a smaller setting is an option.

If most of those answers point toward needing more teaching first, a year of intensive ABA before school is a reasonable choice, not a delay. If most point toward readiness, starting school with good supports usually makes more sense than waiting.

Can my child do ABA during the school day?

It depends on how your child is enrolled.

A child who is not enrolled, or who has been formally withdrawn while under 8, can attend ABA whenever it is scheduled. There is no attendance requirement to manage.

For an enrolled kindergartner, medical appointments are excused absences. WAC 392-401-020 lists “behavioral health treatment” among the medical reasons a district must excuse. ABA is not named specifically, and the principal makes the call on what counts. Excused or not, regular absences mean missed instruction, so this works better for occasional appointments than for a standing schedule.

A standing shorter school day for a student with an IEP is a different matter. OSPI’s guidance on shortened school days says students in special education may attend a full day to the same extent as their peers. A shortened day has to be an IEP team decision based on the student’s needs. It may not be driven by budgets, staffing shortages, or scheduling. If a shorter day is what your child needs, put it in the IEP so everyone knows the plan, including when your child will move back to a full day.

Insurance is the other half. Some plans limit ABA hours during the school day, or will not pay for ABA that stands in for school. Ask your plan before you build a schedule around it. Our guide to ABA therapy hours explains how weekly hours are recommended and justified.

Special education does not wait for kindergarten

Delaying kindergarten does not cut your child off from school services. Under RCW 28A.155.020, districts must provide special education to eligible children from age 3, “whether enrolled in school or not.” State rules also require districts to find and evaluate children who may need services.

So if your child is 4 or 5 and in a full-day ABA program, you can still:

• ask the district for an evaluation and an IEP,
• ask about part-time services, such as speech therapy at the school, which state law lets districts provide to part-time students under RCW 28A.150.350, and
• have the IEP ready when your child does start school.

That last point matters. An IEP written while your child is in ABA can use the ABA team’s data and goals, which makes the first weeks of school smoother. Our Washington IEP guide walks through the process.

What about Transition to Kindergarten?

Some districts offer Transition to Kindergarten (TK) for children who are 4 by August 31 and identified through screening as needing more preparation. According to OSPI’s TK FAQ, districts are not required to offer it, and growth in TK enrollment is capped until at least the 2027-28 school year. If your district has it, ask how it supports children with IEPs. It is another option, not a requirement.

Homeschooling is a separate route. Families who choose home-based instruction for a child 8 or older must file a declaration of intent with the district each year, by September 15 or within two weeks of the start of a school term, under RCW 28A.200.010. Below age 8, no declaration is required.

How Orchid helps families plan the kindergarten year

Orchid Academy runs full-day, center-based ABA academies for children ages 2 to 15 in Issaquah and East Wenatchee, plus school-based ABA in Kirkland and Sammamish and in-home ABA across the Eastside and South King County. For many families, the academy day is the year before school: the same structured routine, with goals built around the skills kindergarten will ask for. Our school readiness program focuses on group instructions, classroom routines, and participation.

When it is time to start school, our school-based ABA services can support the move, and families can keep after-school ABA while the school team takes on more of the day. Our page on autism schools in Washington compares the settings.

If you are trying to decide this year, request a call back. We can talk through where your child is now, what the next year could look like, and check your insurance benefits for the hours your child needs.