RESEARCH · NOVEMBER 2026
The same summer birthday can make your kid the youngest in class or the oldest
A child born on August 15 is among the youngest in kindergarten in 31 states. In 10 others, the same child waits a year and starts as one of the oldest.
From each state’s law or education department, all 50 states and DC, checked November 3, 2026. How we did this
- States where an August 15 birthday is among the youngest
- 31
- States where the same child waits a year
- 10
- Days between the earliest and latest cutoff
- 107
- States that leave the date to each district
- 10
The child can start that fall, just under the wire
They start the next fall as one of the oldest
West Virginia, June 30, to Maine, October 15
No single statewide answer
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Born August 15: among the youngest in 31 states, among the oldest in 10. Districts decide in 10.
Among the youngest Middle of the class Among the oldest District decides
| State | Must turn 5 by | Starts kindergarten | Place in class |
|---|---|---|---|
| Alabama | September 1 | Fall 2026 | Among the youngest |
| Alaska | District sets it | Ask the district | — |
| Arizona | August 31 | Fall 2026 | Among the youngest |
| Arkansas | August 1 | Fall 2027 | Among the oldest |
| California | September 1 | Fall 2026 | Among the youngest |
| Colorado | District sets it | Ask the district | — |
| Connecticut | September 1 | Fall 2026 | Among the youngest |
| Delaware | August 31 | Fall 2026 | Among the youngest |
| District of Columbia | September 30 | Fall 2026 | Among the youngest |
| Florida | September 1 | Fall 2026 | Among the youngest |
| Georgia | September 1 | Fall 2026 | Among the youngest |
| Hawaii | July 31 | Fall 2027 | Among the oldest |
| Idaho | September 1 | Fall 2026 | Among the youngest |
| Illinois | September 1 | Fall 2026 | Among the youngest |
| Indiana | August 1 | Fall 2027 | Among the oldest |
| Iowa | September 15 | Fall 2026 | Among the youngest |
| Kansas | August 31 | Fall 2026 | Among the youngest |
| Kentucky | August 1 | Fall 2027 | Among the oldest |
| Louisiana | September 30 | Fall 2026 | Among the youngest |
| Maine | October 15 | Fall 2026 | Among the youngest |
| Maryland | September 1 | Fall 2026 | Among the youngest |
| Massachusetts | District sets it | Ask the district | — |
| Michigan | September 1 | Fall 2026 | Among the youngest |
| Minnesota | September 1 | Fall 2026 | Among the youngest |
| Mississippi | September 1 | Fall 2026 | Among the youngest |
| Missouri | July 31 | Fall 2027 | Among the oldest |
| Montana | September 10 | Fall 2026 | Among the youngest |
| Nebraska | July 31 | Fall 2027 | Among the oldest |
| Nevada | August 1 | Fall 2027 | Among the oldest |
| New Hampshire | District sets it | Ask the district | — |
| New Jersey | District sets it | Ask the district | — |
| New Mexico | August 31 | Fall 2026 | Among the youngest |
| New York | District sets it | Ask the district | — |
| North Carolina | August 31 | Fall 2026 | Among the youngest |
| North Dakota | July 31 | Fall 2027 | Among the oldest |
| Ohio | District sets it | Ask the district | — |
| Oklahoma | September 1 | Fall 2026 | Among the youngest |
| Oregon | District sets it | Ask the district | — |
| Pennsylvania | District sets it | Ask the district | — |
| Rhode Island | September 1 | Fall 2026 | Among the youngest |
| South Carolina | September 1 | Fall 2026 | Among the youngest |
| South Dakota | September 1 | Fall 2026 | Among the youngest |
| Tennessee | August 15 | Fall 2026 | Among the youngest |
| Texas | September 1 | Fall 2026 | Among the youngest |
| Utah | September 1 | Fall 2026 | Among the youngest |
| Vermont | District sets it | Ask the district | — |
| Virginia | September 30 | Fall 2026 | Among the youngest |
| Washington | August 31 | Fall 2026 | Among the youngest |
| West Virginia | June 30 | Fall 2027 | Among the oldest |
| Wisconsin | September 1 | Fall 2026 | Among the youngest |
| Wyoming | August 1 | Fall 2027 | Among the oldest |
One city, two grades
Across the river from Omaha, the same child starts school a full grade ahead
Omaha and Council Bluffs sit on opposite banks of the Missouri River. Nebraska’s cutoff is July 31. Iowa’s is September 15. A child born between those dates starts kindergarten a year earlier in Council Bluffs than in Omaha. That covers 46 birthdays a year.
Biggest border gap
Cross from West Virginia into Virginia and the cutoff moves 92 days
West Virginia wants children to turn 5 by June 30. Next door, Virginia waits until September 30. A child with a summer birthday who is too young in West Virginia would already be enrolled in Virginia. Of the 76 borders between states that set one statewide date, 60 have neighbors with different dates.
Earliest vs. latest
West Virginia has the earliest cutoff. Maine has the latest. They’re 107 days apart.
In West Virginia, a child must turn 5 by June 30. In Maine, a birthday as late as October 15 still counts. The most common date is September 1, used by 18 states.
No state answer
10 states leave the cutoff to each school district
In Alaska, Colorado, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New York, Ohio, Oregon, Pennsylvania, and Vermont, the state does not set one date for everyone. Two towns in the same state can use different cutoffs, so ask your district.
The map: when your child must turn 5
June or JulyAugust 1 to 15August 16 to 31September 1September 2 to 30OctoberDistrict sets it
The full table
The date a child must turn 5 by to start kindergarten that fall, as each state publishes it. Click a source to read the rule. Download the CSV
| State | Must turn 5 by | The rule, as published | Official source |
|---|---|---|---|
| Alabama | September 1 | Child must turn 5 on or before September 1 (or the date school begins in the district). | Code of Alabama 16-28-4 |
| Alaska | District sets it | Districts set kindergarten entry; school age is 6 by Sep 1 (AS 14.03.070). | Alaska Statutes Title 14 (AS 14.03.070, 14.03.080) |
| Arizona | August 31 | Child must turn 5 before September 1 (on or before August 31). | A.R.S. 15-821 |
| Arkansas | August 1 | Child must turn 5 on or before August 1. | Arkansas Home School Fact Sheet (Ark. Code 6-18-207) |
| California | September 1 | Child must turn 5 on or before September 1. | California Education Code 48000 |
| Colorado | District sets it | Each school district sets the date a child must turn 5. | Kindergarten for families |
| Connecticut | September 1 | Child must turn 5 on or before September 1. | Conn. Gen. Stat. 10-15c |
| Delaware | August 31 | Child must turn 5 on or before August 31. | 14 Del. C. ch. 27, subch. I |
| District of Columbia | September 30 | Child must turn 5 on or before September 30. | K-12 enrollment guidance |
| Florida | September 1 | Child must turn 5 on or before September 1. | Florida Statutes 1003.21 |
| Georgia | September 1 | Child must turn 5 by September 1. | SBOE Rule 160-5-1-.28 |
| Hawaii | July 31 | Child must turn 5 by July 31. | How to enroll |
| Idaho | September 1 | Child must turn 5 on or before September 1. | Idaho Code 33-201 |
| Illinois | September 1 | Child must turn 5 on or before September 1. | 105 ILCS 5/10-20.12 |
| Indiana | August 1 | Child must be at least 5 on August 1. | Kindergarten Entrance and ADM Funding, July 31, 2026 |
| Iowa | September 15 | Child must turn 5 on or before September 15. | Student enrollment and registration |
| Kansas | August 31 | Child must turn 5 on or before August 31. | Student Enrollment |
| Kentucky | August 1 | Child must turn 5 by August 1. | Kentucky Public School Enrollment Requirements |
| Louisiana | September 30 | Child must turn 5 on or before September 30. | La. R.S. 17:151.3 |
| Maine | October 15 | Child must be at least 5 on October 15. | 20-A M.R.S. 5201 |
| Maryland | September 1 | Child must be 5 or older on September 1. | COMAR 13A.08.01.02 |
| Massachusetts | District sets it | Each school district sets its kindergarten entry age and cutoff date. | Kindergarten Entry Age |
| Michigan | September 1 | Child must turn 5 by September 1. | Getting You and Your Child Ready for Kindergarten |
| Minnesota | September 1 | Child must be at least 5 on September 1. | Minn. Stat. 120A.20 |
| Mississippi | September 1 | Child must turn 5 on or before September 1. | Mississippi Kindergarten Guidelines (Miss. Code 37-15-9) |
| Missouri | July 31 | Child must turn 5 before August 1 (on or before July 31). | RSMo 160.053 |
| Montana | September 10 | Child must turn 5 on or before September 10. | MCA 20-7-117 |
| Nebraska | July 31 | Child must turn 5 on or before July 31. | Kindergarten-Primary Programs |
| Nevada | August 1 | Child must turn 5 on or before August 1. | Kindergarten Resources & FAQ |
| New Hampshire | District sets it | Each school district sets its kindergarten entry date. | RSA 193:1 |
| New Jersey | District sets it | A child who is 5 by October 1 has a statutory right to kindergarten where it is offered; districts may admit younger children. | Kindergarten Frequently Asked Questions |
| New Mexico | August 31 | Child must be 5 before 12:01 a.m. on September 1 (on or before August 31). | 6.30.5.9 NMAC |
| New York | District sets it | Each school district sets its kindergarten entry age. | Education Law 3202 |
| North Carolina | August 31 | Child must turn 5 on or before August 31. | Kindergarten |
| North Dakota | July 31 | Child must turn 5 before August 1 (on or before July 31). | NDCC 15.1-06-01 |
| Ohio | District sets it | Child must be 5 by the district's first day of instruction. | ORC 3321.01, effective March 20, 2026 |
| Oklahoma | September 1 | Child must turn 5 on or before September 1. | Oklahoma Statutes Title 70, 1-114 |
| Oregon | District sets it | Child must be 5 on or before the September date your district uses. | FAQ for Families |
| Pennsylvania | District sets it | Each school district sets its own entry ages. | 22 Pa. Code 11.15 |
| Rhode Island | September 1 | Child must turn 5 on or before September 1. | RIGL 16-2-27 |
| South Carolina | September 1 | Child must turn 5 on or before September 1. | S.C. Code Title 59 Ch. 63 |
| South Dakota | September 1 | Child must be at least 5 by September 1. | SDCL 13-27-1 |
| Tennessee | August 15 | Child must turn 5 on or before August 15. | Back to School Legal Guidance FAQ (T.C.A. 49-6-201(b)(3)) |
| Texas | September 1 | Child must be at least 5 on September 1. | Texas Education Code 29.151 |
| Utah | September 1 | Child must turn 5 before September 2 (on or before September 1). | Kindergarten FAQ |
| Vermont | District sets it | Districts choose a cutoff between August 31 and January 1. | 16 V.S.A. 1073 |
| Virginia | September 30 | Child must turn 5 on or before September 30. | Code of Virginia 22.1-254 |
| Washington | August 31 | Child must be 5 as of midnight August 31. | WAC 392-335-010 |
| West Virginia | June 30 | Child must turn 5 before July 1 (on or before June 30). | W. Va. Code 18-5-18 |
| Wisconsin | September 1 | Child must turn 5 on or before September 1 for 5-year-old kindergarten. | Wis. Stat. 118.14 |
| Wyoming | August 1 | Child must turn 5 on or before August 1 (districts with an approved request may use September 15). | Wyoming Statutes Title 21 (21-2-704, 21-4-302) |
How we did this
For each state and DC, we read the kindergarten entry rule in state law or on the state education department’s site and recorded the date a child must turn 5 by. We checked every date again on November 3, 2026 for the 2026–27 school year. Some laws say “before September 1”; we list that as August 31.
“Among the youngest” means the birthday falls in the last three months before the state’s cutoff, so the child is one of the last to turn 5 in that class. “Among the oldest” means it falls in the first three months after the cutoff, so the child waits a year and starts as one of the oldest. Everything else is the middle of the class.
Caveats
- This is the age rule only. Many families of summer-birthday children choose to wait a year anyway, and some districts allow early entry with testing. Both change who is actually in the room.
- In states where districts set the date, we do not guess a date. Ask your district.
- Some states with a statewide date let districts or private schools make exceptions. Each state’s page on this site lists them.
- Missouri’s statewide date is July 31, but state law lets its biggest city districts, such as Kansas City and St. Louis, pick a date between August 1 and October 1 (RSMo 160.054 and 160.055). Families there should ask the district.
- Laws change. A few states have moved their cutoff in recent years. Check the official source linked above before you enroll.
- The checker counts a birthday on the cutoff date as making it, which is how every statewide rule in our data reads.