Kindergarten cutoff dates by state
Pick your state to see the birthday cutoff for starting kindergarten.
Getting ready for the first day? Books about starting kindergarten
Rules change, and districts add their own details. Check with your school district before you plan around a date.
All 50 states and DC
| State | The rule |
|---|---|
| Alabama | Alabama's cutoff is September 1: a child who is 5 by then can enroll.1 If a district's first day of school falls after September 1, the child only has to be 5 by that first day. The state has no early-entry path for younger children. For first grade the line is later, and a child who turns 6 by December 31 can start. National summary: Education Commission of the States ↗ |
| Alaska | Alaska has no kindergarten cutoff in state law right now, so each school district decides.1 The old state rule, 5 by September 1, was repealed in 2023 and is scheduled to return in 2034. A district may admit any child who is at least 4 at the start of the school year and meets the state's readiness standards.1 Anchorage, the largest district, uses 5 on or before September 1.2 National summary: Education Commission of the States ↗ (still lists the rule from before the change) |
| Arizona | Children who turn 5 on or before August 31 can enroll; the law itself says before September 1.1 A child whose birthday falls between then and January 1 can still be admitted if the district's governing board decides it is in the child's best interest. National summary: Education Commission of the States ↗ |
| Arkansas | The Arkansas date is August 1, and a child who turns 5 on or before it can enroll.1 Younger children have no early-entry route. The one exception covers a child who will turn 5 during the school year and has already attended kindergarten in another state or country, or who moved because of military orders or a court-ordered custody change.1 National summary: Education Commission of the States ↗ |
| California | California sets September 1 as the date a child must turn 5 by to enroll.1 Districts can admit a younger child case by case, though not at the start of the school year. Children who turn 4 by September 1 have another option: transitional kindergarten (TK), open to every 4-year-old since 2025-26. National summary: Education Commission of the States ↗ |
| Colorado | Colorado leaves the cutoff to each school district.1 Every large district we checked uses October 1, which is also the day the state counts students for funding.2 At least one smaller district uses an earlier date. Districts with a state-approved plan for gifted children can let a 4-year-old start early.3
National summary: Education Commission of the States ↗ |
| Connecticut | Connecticut moved its cutoff from January 1 to September 1 starting with the 2024-25 school year, so a child now needs to be 5 by September 1.1 Parents of a younger child can ask for early admission, and the principal assesses whether the child is ready. National summary: Education Commission of the States ↗ |
| Delaware | In Delaware a child enrolls if they are 5 on or before August 31.1 Local school officials can grant an exception for a younger child when it is in the child's best interest. National summary: Education Commission of the States ↗ |
| District of Columbia | D.C. uses September 30: a child who is 5 by that date can start kindergarten.1 There is no early entry for younger children. National summary: Education Commission of the States ↗ |
| Florida | To enroll in Florida, a child must turn 5 on or before September 1.1 Florida law has no early-entry provision for younger children. National summary: Education Commission of the States ↗ |
| Georgia | Georgia children need to be 5 on or before September 1.1 Early entry is not allowed, with one exception: a child moving from another state who already attended kindergarten there and turns 5 by December 31. A 2026 law gives parents another choice. Starting in 2026-27, they can enroll a child who is old enough for first grade in kindergarten instead.2
National summary: Education Commission of the States ↗ |
| Hawaii | Hawaii's cutoff is July 31, and has been since the 2014-15 school year.1 A child must turn 5 on or before that date, and younger children cannot start early. National summary: Education Commission of the States ↗ |
| Idaho | To start kindergarten in Idaho, a child must be 5 on or before September 1.1 Early entry is not allowed, except for a child who already completed 450 hours of kindergarten in another state. National summary: Education Commission of the States ↗ |
| Illinois | Illinois admits children who turn 5 on or before September 1.1 For a younger child, the local school board can decide to admit them based on an assessment. National summary: Education Commission of the States ↗ |
| Indiana | Indiana's official date is August 1.1 Districts may still enroll a child who turns 5 by October 1 and receive state funding for that child, and a district can set up an appeal or waiver process for early entry. National summary: Education Commission of the States ↗ |
| Iowa | A child in Iowa can start kindergarten after turning 5 on or before September 15.1 School boards are allowed to require an older starting age, but they cannot admit younger children. National summary: Education Commission of the States ↗ |
| Kansas | Kansas uses August 31.1 Children who turn 5 after that wait a year, unless they were already enrolled in kindergarten in another state or country. National summary: Education Commission of the States ↗ |
| Kentucky | Kentucky children can enroll if they are 5 by August 1.1 Parents of a younger child can petition the district for early entrance, which includes an evaluation of the child, and each district sets its own window for those requests. National summary: Education Commission of the States ↗ |
| Louisiana | In Louisiana, children need to be 5 by September 30.1 A child under 5 can enter early if identified as gifted under state guidelines. National summary: Education Commission of the States ↗ |
| Maine | Maine sets a later date than most states: October 15.1 A child who is 5 by then can enroll. Younger children cannot start early unless they are transferring from kindergarten in another state. National summary: Education Commission of the States ↗ |
| Maryland | Maryland children must be 5 by September 1.1 Local boards must admit a 4-year-old early if the child shows they are ready, and state guidance applies this to birthdays from September 2 to October 15. National summary: Education Commission of the States ↗ |
| Massachusetts | Massachusetts has no statewide date.1 Each district sets its own minimum age. Most use August 31 or September 1, and a few go as late as December 31. National summary: Education Commission of the States ↗ |
| Michigan | Michigan's cutoff is September 1, but parents have some say.1 If a child will turn 5 by December 1, a parent can enroll them by giving the school written notice, even if the school advises against it. National summary: Education Commission of the States ↗ |
| Minnesota | Minnesota enrolls children who are 5 by September 1.1 A school board can adopt a policy that lets some younger children in early. National summary: Education Commission of the States ↗ |
| Mississippi | Mississippi's date is September 1.1 Younger children cannot start early unless they attended kindergarten in another state. National summary: Education Commission of the States ↗ |
| Missouri | Missouri's statute says a child must turn 5 before August 1, so the last eligible birthday is July 31.1 Early entry is limited to children of military families and a few transfers covered by exceptions in state law. National summary: Education Commission of the States ↗ |
| Montana | Montana is the only state we found that uses September 10: a child who is 5 on or before that date can enroll.1 The local school board may admit a younger child in exceptional circumstances. National summary: Education Commission of the States ↗ |
| Nebraska | Nebraska's cutoff is July 31.1 Children who turn 5 between August 1 and October 15 have a second path: the school board must admit them if a parent asks and signs an affidavit, for example one showing the child passed a readiness assessment the board approved. National summary: Education Commission of the States ↗ |
| Nevada | Nevada requires a child to be 5 by August 1.1 The law does not allow anyone younger to start. National summary: Education Commission of the States ↗ |
| New Hampshire | State law does not set a kindergarten cutoff, so each school district sets its own.1 The large districts we checked use age 5 by September 30.2,3 There is no state rule on early entry: Manchester and Concord make no exceptions, while Nashua considers children who turn 5 by October 31.
National summary: Education Commission of the States ↗ |
| New Jersey | New Jersey law gives every child who is 5 by October 1 the right to enroll.1 School boards can also choose to admit younger children. National summary: Education Commission of the States ↗ |
| New Mexico | New Mexico's rule is exact: a child must be 5 before 12:01 a.m. on September 1, which means a birthday on or before August 31.1,2 No state rule lets younger children start early, and a 2017 bill that would have allowed it did not pass. National summary: Education Commission of the States ↗ |
| New York | Each New York school district sets its own cutoff date.1 State law requires a district to admit a child who turns 5 on or before December 1, and a district may pick a later date. New York City uses December 31,2 and school boards may also choose to admit younger children.3
National summary: Education Commission of the States ↗ |
| North Carolina | The North Carolina statute sets August 31 as the cutoff.1 A child who turns 4 by April 16 and is identified as gifted can start early if a parent applies under state rules. National summary: Education Commission of the States ↗ |
| North Dakota | North Dakota children must turn 5 before August 1, so July 31 is the last eligible birthday.1 A district may admit a child who turns 5 between August 1 and November 30 and shows readiness on state-approved assessments. National summary: Education Commission of the States ↗ |
| Ohio | Ohio ties the date to the school calendar: a child must be 5 by the first day of school.1 A child who turns 5 before January 1 can be evaluated for early entry if referred, and younger children can start only under a district's acceleration policy. National summary: Education Commission of the States ↗ |
| Oklahoma | In Oklahoma, a child who turns 5 on or before September 1 can enroll, and there is no early entry for younger children.1 National summary: Education Commission of the States ↗ |
| Oregon | Oregon's cutoff is September 1, though the state education department tells families to check with their district for the exact date.1 The local school board decides on early entry. National summary: Education Commission of the States ↗ |
| Pennsylvania | Pennsylvania leaves it to each school district to set the cutoff date and to decide whether a younger child can start early.1 The one state rule is that a district cannot set the starting age lower than 4 years old on the first day of school. National summary: Education Commission of the States ↗ |
| Rhode Island | Rhode Island children must be 5 on or before September 1 to enroll, with no early entry for younger children.1 National summary: Education Commission of the States ↗ |
| South Carolina | South Carolina's date is September 1.1 A local school board can waive the age rule for a particular child, but the state will not pay the district for that child. National summary: Education Commission of the States ↗ |
| South Dakota | South Dakota enrolls children who are 5 by September 1.1 Younger children can start early only if they are moving from another state. National summary: Education Commission of the States ↗ |
| Tennessee | August 15 is the Tennessee cutoff.1 Some districts also admit a child who turns 5 by September 30 after an evaluation, but only districts that have chosen to use that option. National summary: Education Commission of the States ↗ |
| Texas | Texas uses September 1.1 The state pays for a younger child in kindergarten only if the district has a policy for admitting children under 5 and the child passes the state test given to third graders. National summary: Education Commission of the States ↗ |
| Utah | Utah's statute says 5 before September 2, which makes September 1 the last eligible birthday.1 Younger children cannot start early, apart from a few exceptions, such as a child already enrolled in kindergarten in another state. National summary: Education Commission of the States ↗ |
| Vermont | Vermont lets each district choose its cutoff date, anywhere from August 31 to January 1.1 Most use a date around September 1. National summary: Education Commission of the States ↗ |
| Virginia | Virginia's date is September 30.1 A child who turns 5 between October 1 and December 31 can enroll if the school division offers qualifying programs and the child shows readiness. National summary: Education Commission of the States ↗ |
| Washington | Washington requires a child to be 5 by midnight on August 31.1 Districts can admit a younger child after a screening process. National summary: Education Commission of the States ↗ |
| West Virginia | West Virginia law says a child must be 5 before July 1, so June 30 is the last eligible birthday.1 The date moved from September 1 in the 2019-20 school year, and county registration pages for 2026-27 use the new date.2 Some national summaries still list September 1, which is the old rule. A county school board may set a policy that lets a younger child start early if the child shows they are ready.3
National summary: Education Commission of the States ↗ (still lists the rule from before the change) |
| Wisconsin | Wisconsin's date is September 1.1 Every district must set its own procedures for early admission, so for a younger child the answer depends on the district. National summary: Education Commission of the States ↗ |
| Wyoming | Wyoming moved its cutoff from September 15 to August 1 in 2021.1 A district can still approve a request for a child who turns 5 by September 15. National summary: Education Commission of the States ↗ |
Every answer is footnoted to the state's own law, education department or district pages, and cross-checked against the Education Commission of the States 2026 kindergarten profiles. Checked November 2026.