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Question:

Did kids in the 1830s have to go to school?

Answer:

No, not according to the law. In the New England states the law said that each town had to offer free schooling, but attending school wasn't compulsory. There were no school officials out tracking down truants (kids who were skipping school) and hauling them in front of the principal. (In fact, there wasn't even a principal!)

Children attended school, or stayed home, pretty much as their parents wished. Sometimes parents needed their kids to work on the farm, or take care of younger brothers and sisters, or even tend machines in one of the new factories. Children whose parents were really poor sometimes didn't get much schooling.

On the other hand, many parents in the 1830s were very concerned that their kids got as much schooling as possible. Sometimes they got together and paid the teacher out of their own pockets to keep school going beyond the usual term. These parents would have made very sure that their children attended school!