BY KEVIN SHALVEY

On Tuesday, June 26, Gov. John Lynch signed into law legislation to raise the compulsory high school attendance age to 18. Since 1903, the legal age to drop out was 16 years old.

“Today we are taking a significant step toward helping more of New Hampshire’s young people graduate from high school, which will give them the opportunities they deserve for better lives,” said Lynch in a statement.

But Hopkinton and Bow residents have mixed feelings about whether keeping students in high school until they’re 18 years old will be a benefit to those students.

Bow’s Mary Rogers said her daughter, Elizabeth, will be starting at Bow High School
in the fall. The legislation won’t directly benefit her, but it will be good for others,
Rogers said.

“I just think that for some kids who aren’t on the right path, or who don’t have the right guidance, this will be a way to keep them in school,”  she said.

Bow’s new superintendent, Dean Cascadden, started work on Monday, July 2. He said students drop out  because they’re not stimulated, so students should be given incentives and programs that will keep them coming to school.

“In theory, I absolutely support the bill in concept,” he said.

Hopkinton High School has an enrollment of about 350 students.

“The dropout rate is low, and while it’s low we do have one or two kids drop out each year,” said Principal Steven Chamberlin.

Along with the new law, the school’s goal is to make programs that will entice all kids to stay involved, he said.

“The other piece is how do we make Hopkinton High School work for all kids,” he said.

Bow’s Tareah Gray said some students might not fit into the general high school curriculum and would benefit from an alternative school.

“I guess I have mixed feelings about it. I think the intention is great,” said Gray, a teacher who is taking time off to raise her children.

But alternative schools, like the New Hampshire Technical Institute or a private school, could be too costly, she said.

“I guess I feel that it is ideal to keep kids in school until they’re 18, but the reality is it might be too expensive,” she said.

Hopkinton’s Aviva Nestler also said she had mixed feelings about the legislation.

“I think on the one hand, it is definitely good to stay in school and graduate because I know the benefits of going to college,” she said.

But, Nestler said she also knows people who got their GED at age 16 and went on to be prosperous.

Leland Kimball, whose grandchildren are students at Bow Elementary School, said the legislation will be good for students.

“Well, I personally think it’s a good idea. The option of getting out at age 16 is too young,” he said.