School grade by age

Date of birth

On this date

Age —

The same age, other ways

Exactly —

In months —

In weeks —

In days —

In hours —

Born on a —

Next birthday —

Days to go —

Turning —

Note Enter a date of birth

Cut-off dates vary — confirm locally

School year groups are set by age on a cut-off date, not by age today. England uses 1 September, so a child must be five by then to start Reception. Most US states use dates between 1 August and 1 October, varying by state.

How to work out a school year

1 Enter the child date of birth.

2 Read their age as of the cut-off date for your system.

3 Set the second date to your local cut-off to check placement.

4 Confirm the actual cut-off with the school — they vary.

Where a birthday falls relative to the cut-off matters more than most parents expect. Within a single year group the oldest and youngest children can be almost twelve months apart, and the relative age effect — younger children in a cohort performing measurably worse on average — is well documented and persists into secondary school. It is one of the better-established findings in education research and one of the least acted upon.

Questions

What is the school cut-off in England? −

1 September. A child must be five by then to start Reception that academic year.

What about the US? +

What is a summer-born child? +

Can a child start a year later? +

Does the age gap within a year matter? +

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