United States · School enrollment

Kindergarten age cutoff by state.

Pick a state, enter your child’s birth date and the year school starts, and see whether the statute’s birthday cutoff is met.

Short answer: In California, Florida, Illinois, Michigan, Minnesota, Texas and Wisconsin a child must turn five on or before September 1. Virginia uses September 30, Arizona and Missouri say “before” (September 1 and August 1), and Washington leaves the date to each district.

Source: state statutesRetrieved October 2026Unofficial guide

Check a birth date

Result

Choose a state, enter a birth date and press Check cutoff.

How the cutoff works

A kindergarten cutoff is a birthday deadline: the child must turn five by a set date in the calendar year school starts. Each state writes its own date, and whether a child whose birthday is the date itself counts depends on the wording. Of the 11 states read for this page, seven (California, Florida, Illinois, Michigan, Minnesota, Texas and Wisconsin) use September 1 and let a child who turns five that day in. Virginia’s date is September 30. Arizona says the child must reach five before September 1, and Missouri before August 1, so a birthday on the date itself is too late. Washington’s statute gives no date at all; it lets each district set birthdate requirements for kindergarten and first grade.

The states side by side

State	Cutoff	What the statute says	Where
Arizona	Turn 5 before September 1	A child counts as five if they reach five before September 1 of the school year.	A.R.S. 15-821(C)
California	Turn 5 on or before September 1	A child must turn five on or before September 1 to be admitted to kindergarten (September 1 of 2014-15 and every year after).	Educ. Code 48000(a)
Florida	Turn 5 on or before September 1	Children who will have attained age 5 on or before September 1 are eligible for public kindergarten, under rules each district school board adopts.	Fla. Stat. 1003.21(1)(a)2
Illinois	Turn 5 on or before September 1	Children who will attain age 5 on or before September 1 may attend school when the term starts.	105 ILCS 5/10-20.12
Michigan	Turn 5 on or before September 1	A child must be at least 5 on September 1 of the school year of enrollment. A child who turns 5 by December 1 may enroll if a parent gives written notice.	MCL 380.1147(2) and (3)
Minnesota	Turn 5 on or before September 1	A pupil may not be admitted to kindergarten unless at least five years of age on September 1 of the calendar year the school year starts.	Minn. Stat. 120A.20 subd. 1(b)(1)
Missouri	Turn 5 before August 1	A child whose fifth birthday occurs before August 1 is deemed to have attained age five for the school year starting that calendar year.	RSMo 160.051
Texas	Turn 5 on or before September 1	A person who is at least five years of age on the first day of September of the school year is entitled to the available school fund benefits for that year.	Educ. Code 25.001(a)
Virginia	Turn 5 on or before September 30	Each school division must run a kindergarten program for children who will reach their fifth birthday on or before September 30 of the school year.	Va. Code 22.1-199(A)
Washington	Set by each district	The statute lets each district set "birthdate requirements" for kindergarten and first grade. No single statewide cutoff date is in the statute.	RCW 28A.225.160
Wisconsin	Turn 5 on or before September 1	No child may be admitted to a 5-year-old kindergarten unless 5 years old on or before September 1 of the year they propose to enter.	Wis. Stat. 118.14(1)(b)

Only states whose statute text was read in full for this page are listed. A state missing from the table has not been checked, not been ruled out; do not assume it matches its neighbours.

Worked example (real dates)

A child born September 1, 2021 turns five on September 1, 2026. In Texas, California or Florida that is on the cutoff, so the child meets it for the school year starting in fall 2026. In Arizona the statute says before September 1, so the same child waits, and the first kindergarten year is the one starting in 2027. A child born September 2, 2021 misses the September 1 cutoff in every state of the on-or-before group for 2026 and first qualifies for the school year starting in 2027. In Michigan that child could still enroll in 2026 if a parent gives the written notice the statute describes, because the child turns five by December 1 of the school year.

Missouri’s line sits a month earlier: a child born July 31, 2021 meets it for 2026, a child born August 1, 2021 does not, and waits for 2027.

Method

The tool takes the cutoff the statute sets for the school year you enter, moves it back five years, and compares the birth date with that date. States worded “on or before” accept a birth date equal to the shifted cutoff; Arizona and Missouri do not. To find the first eligible year it repeats the test for the years before and after. Michigan’s December 1 notice route is shown as a separate line. The dates stay in your browser and nothing is sent to our servers.

What this does not cover

District rules, enrollment steps and proof required. A statute sets who may attend; the district admits your child.
Early entrance, testing out, waivers and appeals. Some of these exist, and this tool does not apply them.
Pre-K, first grade and compulsory attendance ages, which are separate rules in each state.
States not listed, and any statute amended after October 2026. Confirm with your district or state education department.

Sources

Texas Education Code 25.001 (public.law copy of the code) (retrieved October 2026)
California Education Code 48000 (public.law copy of the code) (retrieved October 2026)
Florida Statutes 1003.21 (2025), Florida Senate (retrieved October 2026)
Illinois 105 ILCS 5/10-20.12, Illinois General Assembly (retrieved October 2026)
Virginia Code 22.1-199, Virginia Law (retrieved October 2026)
Arizona Revised Statutes 15-821 (retrieved October 2026)
Minnesota Statutes 120A.20, Revisor of Statutes (retrieved October 2026)
Michigan Compiled Laws 380.1147, Michigan Legislature (retrieved October 2026)
Wisconsin Statutes 118.14 (retrieved October 2026)
Missouri Revised Statutes 160.051, Revisor of Missouri (retrieved October 2026)
Washington RCW 28A.225.160 (retrieved October 2026)

Common mix-ups

Often assumedA child whose birthday falls exactly on the cutoff date is always old enough.

What the source saysWording decides it. Arizona's statute treats a child as five if they reach the age of five before September 1 of the school year, so a September 1 birthday does not count there, while other states say on or before September 1. ^[1]
Often assumedEvery state sets one statewide kindergarten cutoff date.

What the source saysWashington's statute lets each school district set entry rules for kindergarten and first grade, including birthdate requirements, and it states no single statewide date. ^[2]
Often assumedThe kindergarten eligibility age is also the age a child must start school.

What the source saysFlorida separates them: children who will have turned 5 by September 1 are eligible for kindergarten, but compulsory attendance applies to children who have reached 6 or will reach 6 by February 1 of the school year. ^[3]

Checked against these sources on 2026-10-26.

Frequently asked questions

What is the kindergarten cutoff date in most states?

Among the 11 states checked here, seven use September 1 with the child allowed to turn five on that day: California, Florida, Illinois, Michigan, Minnesota, Texas and Wisconsin. Others differ, so check the table.

What if my child’s birthday is exactly on the cutoff date?

It depends on the statute’s wording. Texas, California, Florida, Illinois, Minnesota, Michigan, Wisconsin and Virginia say on or before (or at least five on the date), so the birthday counts. Arizona says before September 1 and Missouri before August 1, so it does not.

Can a child who misses the cutoff start anyway?

Sometimes. Michigan lets a child who turns five by December 1 enroll with written notice from a parent. California’s Education Code 48000(b) separately covers early admission by district board decision, with conditions the statute lists.

Does the cutoff mean my child must attend kindergarten?

No. The cutoff is when a child becomes eligible. Florida shows the gap: its statute makes children eligible for kindergarten at five by September 1, but compulsory attendance starts at six, or at six by February 1 of the school year.

Why does Washington have no date here?

RCW 28A.225.160 lets school districts set entry rules for kindergarten and first grade, including birthdate requirements, and it does not state a single statewide date. Ask your district for its cutoff.

Why are only some states listed?

Every state in the table was read from its own statute on the page’s retrieval date. States where the statute text could not be read are left out rather than guessed.

Which school year does the year box mean?

The calendar year in which school starts. For the 2027-28 school year, which begins in fall 2027, enter 2027.

Does passing the check mean my child is enrolled?

No. It shows whether the birthday meets the state’s cutoff. Enrollment is handled by your school district, which may also have its own steps and deadlines.

General information, not legal advice

This page applies statute wording to the dates you enter. It is an unofficial guide, not run by any state or school district, and nothing you type is transmitted anywhere. Your district decides enrollment; confirm the cutoff with it before you rely on this.