Ah yes, but you see, if teenagers don’t start school early, then how are they going to get out of school early enough to go to their minimum wage jobs after work? Think of the poor corporations!

(Yes, this is the real reason in the US. I believe it was also so teens could work on farms after school back when that was common. Also now some families that are struggling to make ends meet rely on the extra income from their teenagers’ part-time jobs, which is a special extra level of dystopia.)