The extension of compulsory education represents a critical frontier in primary education reform. Over four decades, Chinese scholars have extensively examined six core dimensions of extending the current nine-year compulsory education system: necessity, strategic direction, feasibility, urgency, effectiveness, and international precedents. Current academic discourse presents two primary expansion models: “upward extension” to include higher grades and “downward extension” to encompass early education. However, implementing such extensions requires careful consideration of complex interconnected factors, including economic capacity, demographic shifts, cultural contexts, legal frameworks, and societal expectations of educational benefits. Critical areas requiring further investigation include precise educational funding calculations and demographic projections of school-age populations. As China transitions into a phase of high-quality development, extending compulsory education could catalyze the nation’s transformation from leveraging a “demographic dividend” to cultivating a “human resource dividend.” Future research priorities should include: strengthening theoretical foundations, expanding empirical studies, conducting comparative international analyses, and fostering interdisciplinary approaches. Particular attention must be paid to how extended compulsory education interacts with other systemic elements, such as the articulation between educational stages and the implementation of flexible learning pathways. Additionally, research must address legislative frameworks, implementation strategies, and scalable pathways for extending compulsory education, building upon existing scholarly foundations.