How to use the kindergarten entry year calculator
Which year a child starts school depends on the birth date, the entry age the district uses and the cutoff date it applies. Enter those and the calculator shows the school year the criteria point to, the child's age on the cutoff date, and the years that an early start or a one-year wait would land in.
Under the birth-year rule every child born in the same calendar year is grouped together, which works like a December 31 cutoff: a child who turns the entry age at any point that year starts in the fall of that year. Under the cutoff-date rule a birthday after the cutoff moves the child to the following school year, and a birthday on the cutoff date itself counts as having reached the age, so it is not pushed back.
Cutoff dates and procedures are revised and districts run them differently, so every criterion here is editable. The result stops at the school year: it does not decide whether an early start or a delay will be approved, since that rests on an application and a review. Confirm the current cutoff with the school or district.
Frequently Asked Questions
Under the birth-year rule every child born in the same calendar year starts together. Under the cutoff-date rule a child starts once the entry age is reached by the cutoff, so children born after the cutoff wait until the next school year.
The age counts as reached on that day, so the child is not pushed back. With a September 1 cutoff and a September 1 birthday, the school year is the earlier one.
No. Those decisions rest with the school district and the rules differ locally. Use the page to compare which school year each choice lands in, then ask the district.