From 1780 to 1870, all elementary schools were "voluntary", that is, they were established and maintained by private effort, by individuals, religious groups, or charitable organizations. After 1833 they were assisted by an increasing amount of government money in the form of grants.
The Elementary School Act of 1870 was intended to provide compulsory elementary education for children aged 5-13, however this was not strictly enforced and schooling for children between 6 and 10 was not made compulsory until 1880.
In 1893, the minimum school leaving age was raised to 11 with further leaving age increases occuring in 1899 (12), 1918 (14), 1947 (15), and raised to 16 during the 1972-73 school year.