Academics · Subject Resources · Early learning

Which fall your
child can start
kindergarten.

Type your child’s birth date and the entry rule where you live. The calculator gives the first year they can start, how old they will be on the first day, and how close their birthday sits to the cutoff.

Find the yearWhat you get

The kindergarten entry calculator

The worked example is made up: a child born in July 2022 under an age-5-by-September-1 rule. Nothing you type leaves this browser.

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What you get

Academics · Subject ResourcesFree

What you finish with
The first school year your child can start kindergarten, the date they reach the age, their age on the first day, the days to the cutoff and a year-by-year table. It prints as a summary and downloads as a spreadsheet.
Who it is for
Parents and caregivers of preschoolers, preschool and pre-K teachers, and school front offices answering enrollment questions.
Format
Browser calculator for a phone, tablet or computer, by touch or keyboard. Prints a summary; downloads a spreadsheet (.csv); export and import a file.
Access
Free. No account, no sign-in and nothing to install. Everything you type stays in this browser; nothing is sent to Caveat.
Where it lives
The Subject Resources space in Caveat Academics.
Support
Questions, a correction or a request: team@caveatacademic.com.

How to use it

  1. Find your state or district’s kindergarten age and cutoff date on its enrollment page.
  2. Type the birth date, the age and the cutoff.
  3. Choose the month school usually starts.
  4. Read the first eligible year and the age on the first day.
  5. Print the summary or download the spreadsheet.

Find the year

How the year is worked out

Birthday against cutoff.

The worked example: age 5 by September 1Birth dateJul 9, 2022from the birth certificateTurns 5Jul 9, 2027birth year + 5CutoffSep 1, 2027the local ruleFirst yearFall 2027turns 5 before the cutoffThe worked example: age 5 by September 1Birth dateJul 9, 2022from the birth certificateTurns 5Jul 9, 2027birth year + 5CutoffSep 1, 2027the local ruleFirst yearFall 2027turns 5 before the cutoff
A child is eligible in the first school year whose cutoff date falls on or after their fifth birthday.

The rule

Kindergarten entry rules say a child must reach a certain age, usually 5, on or before a cutoff date in the year they start. If the birthday falls on or before the cutoff, the child can start the year they reach that age; if it falls after, they start the following year. That is all the calculator assumes, so it works with any state or district’s rule.

Where to find yours

States set kindergarten entry ages and cutoffs, and some leave the date to districts. Cutoffs fall anywhere from summer to early winter, and some places allow early entry after an assessment or have different rules for transitional kindergarten. Your district’s enrollment page or office has the rule that applies to your child.

Sources

  1. Education Commission of the States. 50-State Comparison: State K-3 Policies, kindergarten entrance age (ecs.org).
  2. National Center for Education Statistics. State Education Practices, Table 5.3: kindergarten entrance age by state (nces.ed.gov).
  3. U.S. Department of Education. Getting ready for kindergarten, family resources (ed.gov).
  4. National Association for the Education of Young Children. Kindergarten readiness and the age of entry (naeyc.org).

The worked example is made up. This page applies the rule you type; it does not know your state’s rule. Your child’s details stay in this browser. Support: team@caveatacademic.com.