Gov. Pat Quinn wants to raise the age when students can drop out of school in Illinois.

Quinn on Friday announced that he supports increasing the minimum attendance age to 18. Currently, the state's minimum dropout age is 17. The governor's office says that makes Illinois 1 of 29 states that allow students to drop out of school before they turn 18.

Quinn says the best way to make sure Illinois children are successful is to make sure they stay in school long enough to earn a diploma.

The governor's comments came after President Barack Obama urged states in his State of the Union speech to encourage students to complete their high school education.

Quinn says he'll propose the legislation during his State of the State address next week.