Kindergarten Cut-Off Dates by State: When Can My Child Start Kindergarten?

Every US state decides how old a child must be to start kindergarten, and the deciding factor is a single date: the child must turn 5 on or before it. 1 September is the most common cut-off, used by 19 states, but the dates in force for 2026-27 run from 30 June in West Virginia to 1 December in New York State and 1 January by default in Vermont. Five states set no date and leave it to each school district, and Ohio now ties it to each district's first day of school.

The kindergarten cut-off checker takes your state and your child's birth date and gives the fall they can start, their class-of year and whether the birthday is close to the line. Every date below was checked on 18 October 2026 against the state's statute, its education department or, for Tennessee, the state Comptroller.

Cut-off dates by state

The same list, sortable, is in the kindergarten cut-off dates table. For Arkansas, Georgia and Mississippi the source is the education department, because their codes are hosted on Lexis; for Tennessee it is the state Comptroller's January 2026 report.

Read the wording: "on or before" is not "before"

One day can move a child a whole school year. California says a child must turn 5 on or before 1 September, so a 1 September birthday starts that fall. Arizona says 5 before 1 September, and New Mexico "before 12:01 a.m. on September 1", so the same birthday waits a year. West Virginia's "prior to July 1" leaves out a 1 July birthday. Texas counts a child who is at least 5 on 1 September.

Washington is the one state where the official pages disagree by a day: its transition-to-kindergarten page implies 31 August, while its enrollment handbook says age 5 on 1 September. If your child was born on 1 September in Washington, ask the district.

States that leave it to districts

• Pennsylvania: each school board sets the age, which may not be younger than 4 years 0 months before the first day of the term.
• Massachusetts: each district sets it; the state's list runs from 10 August to 31 December, with 1 September the most common.
• Colorado: districts set it; the state funds kindergarten pupils who are 5 by 1 October.
• New Hampshire: state law sets no kindergarten date; attendance is compulsory from 6.
• Alaska: the Alaska Reads Act repealed the state date from 1 July 2023, and a "5 by 1 September" rule returns on 30 June 2034.
• Vermont has a default (5 by 1 January) that a district may move as early as 31 August, and Ohio now uses each district's first day of instruction.

Transitional kindergarten and pre-K

California finished rolling out transitional kindergarten (TK) in 2025-26: every child who turns 4 by 1 September can now attend a public TK year before kindergarten. Maryland and Oklahoma run public pre-K for children who are 4 by 1 September, Maine for children who are 4 by 15 October, and Washington offers Transition to Kindergarten for 4-year-olds by 31 August who need more preparation.

What changed recently

• Ohio moved to "5 by the first day of instruction" on 20 March 2026 (H.B. 114), so it applies from 2026-27. It was 30 September, or 1 August by district choice.
• California TK became open to all 4-year-olds (4 by 1 September) from 2025-26, after three years of phasing in.
• Connecticut moved from 1 January to 1 September from 2024-25.
• Wyoming now uses 1 August, with 15 September only by district approval; many guides still give 15 September.
• West Virginia moved to 1 July in 2019-20, and Kentucky to 1 August in 2017-18; older guides still show 1 September and 1 October.
• Alaska has had no state date since 1 July 2023.

Whatever the state, the district enrolls the child, and it can tell you its exact date, any early-entry process and what papers it needs. For the year your child will finish school, see the graduation year calculator.