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Washington
8
Alaska
7
Idaho
7
Indiana
7
Kansas
7
Louisiana
7
Minnesota
7
Missouri
7
Montana
7
Nevada
7
North Carolina
7
North Dakota
7
Wyoming
7
Alabama
6
Arizona
6
California
6
Colorado
6
Florida
6
Georgia
6
Illinois
6
Iowa
6
Kentucky
6
Maine
6
Massachusetts
6
Michigan
6
Mississippi
6
Nebraska
6
New Hampshire
6
New Jersey
6
New York
6
Ohio
6
Oregon
6
Pennsylvania
6
Tennessee
6
Texas
6
Utah
6
Vermont
6
West Virginia
6
Wisconsin
6
Arkansas
5
Connecticut
5
Delaware
5
District of Columbia
5
Hawaii
5
Maryland
5
New Mexico
5
Oklahoma
5
Rhode Island
5
South Carolina
5
South Dakota
5
Virginia
5

Age to Start Kindergarten by State 2024

Age to Start Kindergarten by State 2024

Kindergarten is a year of education between home, daycare, or preschool and elementary school whose approach involves playing, singing, practical activities, and social interaction. Kindergarten institutions originated in the 18th century in Bavaria and Alsace to provide a place for kids to go during the day while their parents worked.

German pedagogue Friedrich Fröbel recognized that children have unique needs and capabilities and created the concept of kindergarten. The German word kindergarten can be translated to “infant garden.” Both the concept and the name stuck, especially in the United States.

In the United States, kindergarten is typically part of the K-12 educational system and begins the primary education (elementary education) years of formal education in most jurisdictions. In most state and private schools, children attend kindergarten for one year beginning at age five.

American kindergartens have been around for about 150 years, starting when Elizabeth Palmer Peabody opened the first English language kindergarten in the U.S. The first public-school kindergarten opened in St. Louis in the 1870s and soon there were hundreds around the country.

U.S. states have different laws and requirements for kindergarten. Most states require a child to be 5 as of a specified date. As of 2018, 18 states require kindergarten attendance for children wishing to continue to elementary school.

Below are the kindergarten entrance ages for each state. States that are designated a local education agency (LEA) indicate that a local school board oversees and implements education policies as set forth by the federal government.

  • Minnesota – 5 on or before 9/01 (school board may adopt an early admissions policy)
  • New Jersey – LEA option (school districts may admit children aged 4-5, and they must admit children aged 5-6. The cutoff date must be after October 1)
  • New York – LEA option (students must be between 4 and 6)
  • Ohio – LEA option (Districts may adopt a resolution establishing August 1 instead of September 30 as the required date by which students must have attained the specified age
  • Pennsylvania – LEA option (students must be between 4 and 6. The minimum age for kindergarten is 4 years and 7 months before the first day of the school year)
  • Vermont – 5 (LEA may require students admitted to kindergarten to attain the age of 5 on or before August 31 and January 1st)
  • Wisconsin – 5 on or before 9/01 (Kindergarten entrance age is 5 on or before September 1 for 5-year-old kindergarten or age 4 on or before September 1 for 4-year-old kindergarten.)

Age to Start Kindergarten by State 2024

Notes:
- The acronym LEA is the standad abbreviation for "local education agency".
- States with neither a "yes" nor a "no" in the category of "State Requires Kindergarten Attendance" are those marked "not applicable" by The National Center for Education Statistics.

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State
Compulsory School Age
Kindergarten Entrance Age
State Requires Districts Offer Full-Day Kindergarten
State Requires Districts Offer Half-Day Kindergarten
State Requires Kindergarten Attendance
Additional Details
Washington85 by 8/31
Alaska75 by 9/1
Idaho75 by 9/1
Indiana75 by 8/1
Districts must offer either full-day or half-day kindergarten.
Kansas75 by 8/31
Louisiana75 by 9/30
Children can forego kindergarden and enroll in grade 1 by satisfactorily passing an academic readine...
Minnesota75 by 9/1
Missouri75 by 7/31
Metropolitan districts can change the minimum age to 5 on or before any date from August 1 to Octobe...
Montana75 by 9/10
Districts must offer either full-day or half-day kindergarten.
Nevada75 by 9/30
North Carolina75 by 8/31
The initial entry point into school is kindergarten, but a principal may override this for an except...
North Dakota75 by 7/31
Wyoming75 by 9/15
The state requires that LEAs offer half-day kindergarten. School districts must establish and mainta...
Alabama65 by 9/1
Arizona65 by 8/31
California65 by 9/1
Colorado65 by 10/1
Florida65 by 9/1
Georgia65 by 9/1
Illinois65 by 9/1
Districts must offer either full-day or half-day kindergarten.
Iowa65 by 9/15
Children aged 4 or 5 years old and enrolled in a school district are considered to be compulsory att...
Kentucky65 by 7/31
Maine65 by 10/15
Massachusetts6Variable
Each district may establish its own minimum permissible age for school attendance.
Michigan65 by 9/1
Mississippi65 by 9/1
Nebraska65 by 9/30
Children may skip kindergartend if otherwise assessed as prepared to enter grade 1.
New Hampshire6Unspecified
Entrance age is not specified in state statutes or regulations.
New Jersey6LEA option
Districts may admit children ages 4 and 5, and must admit children ages 5 to 6. The cutoff date must...
New York6LEA option
Districts may admit children ages 4 and 5, and they must admit children ages 5 to 6. The cutoff date...
Ohio6LEA option
Districts may adopt a resolution establishing August 1 instead of September 30 as the required date ...
Oregon65 by 9/1
Pennsylvania6LEA option
Students must be between the ages of 4 and 6. Minimum age for kindergarten entrance is 4 years 7 mon...
Tennessee65 by 8/15
Texas65 by 9/1
Districts must offer either full-day or half-day kindergarten. This is an option for a school distri...
Utah65 by 9/1
Vermont65
LEA may require students admitted to kindergarten to attain the age of 5 on or before August 31 and ...
West Virginia65 by 8/31
Districts must offer prekindergarten to all children who are 4 years old before July 1
Wisconsin65 by 9/1
Kindergarten entrance age is 5 on or before September 1 for 5-year-old kindergarten or 4 on or befor...
Arkansas55 by 8/1
Connecticut55 by 1/1
Delaware55 by 8/31
District of Columbia55 by 9/30
Hawaii55 by 7/31
Maryland55 by 9/1
New Mexico55 by 9/1
Oklahoma55 by 9/1
Minimum half-day attendance.
Rhode Island55 by 9/1
South Carolina55 by 9/1
South Dakota55 by 9/1
Virginia55 by 9/30
showing: 51 rows

Age to Start Kindergarten by State 2024

Sources