California · School enrollment
California kindergarten cutoff date and TK.
Enter a birth date and a school year to see kindergarten eligibility under Education Code 48000, and whether transitional kindergarten applies.
Short answer: For 2026-27 and every year after, a California child must turn five on or before September 1 to be admitted to kindergarten. Since 2025-26 a child who turns four by September 1 must be admitted to transitional kindergarten, the first year of a two-year kindergarten program.
Check a birth date
Result
Enter a birth date and press Check eligibility.
What Education Code 48000 says
Subsection (a) requires a district to admit a child to kindergarten at the start of a school year, or later in it, if the child turns five by a cutoff. The statute lists the cutoff that applied while it was phased in: December 2 for 2011-12, November 1 for 2012-13, October 1 for 2013-14, and September 1 for 2014-15 and each school year after. Subsection (b) lets a district board admit a child early on a case-by-case basis, but only if the board finds the admission is in the child’s best interests and the parent has been given information about its advantages, disadvantages and effects.
Subsection (c) sets the transitional kindergarten window and widens it over time. For 2025-26 and later, a child who will turn four by September 1 must be admitted to TK. Subsection (d) defines TK as the first year of a two-year kindergarten program, with an age- and developmentally appropriate curriculum that includes play-based, engaged learning aligned to the state’s Learning Foundations.
Birth-date windows for the next four school years
| School year | Kindergarten if born on or before | TK if born on or before |
|---|---|---|
| Starting fall 2026 | September 1, 2021 | September 1, 2022 |
| Starting fall 2027 | September 1, 2022 | September 1, 2023 |
| Starting fall 2028 | September 1, 2023 | September 1, 2024 |
| Starting fall 2029 | September 1, 2024 | September 1, 2025 |
Worked example (real dates)
A child born September 1, 2022 turns four on September 1, 2026, so for the 2026-27 school year the child must be admitted to TK. That child turns five on September 1, 2027, on the kindergarten cutoff, so kindergarten starts in 2027-28. A child born one day later, September 2, 2022, does not turn four by September 1, 2026, so TK is not available by this rule until 2027-28 and kindergarten is a year after that.
Method
For kindergarten the tool moves September 1 of the school year back five years and checks that the birth date is on or before it. For TK it moves September 1 back four years and applies the same test, for school years 2025 and later. Dates stay in your browser and nothing is sent to our servers.
What this does not cover
- Early admission under subsection (b), which is a district board decision, not a date.
- Your district’s TK and kindergarten enrollment calendar, waitlists and school assignment.
- School years before 2025-26 for TK, which used narrower windows in the statute.
- Any amendment to the Education Code after October 2026.
The official text is on California Legislative Information; the text above was read through the public.law copy listed below.
Sources
- California Education Code 48000 (public.law copy of the code) (retrieved October 2026)
Common mix-ups
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Often assumedCalifornia still uses a December cutoff for kindergarten.
What the source saysSection 48000(a) lists the phase-in: December 2 for 2011-12, November 1 for 2012-13, October 1 for 2013-14, and September 1 for 2014-15 and each school year thereafter. [1]
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Often assumedTransitional kindergarten is a separate preschool program, not part of kindergarten.
What the source saysSection 48000(d) defines transitional kindergarten as the first year of a two-year kindergarten program, with an age and developmentally appropriate curriculum, and 48000(c) requires admitting children who turn four by September 1 from 2025-26 on. [1]
Checked against these sources on .
Frequently asked questions
What is the kindergarten cutoff date in California?
September 1. Education Code 48000(a) says a child must turn five on or before September 1 of the school year to be admitted, for 2014-15 and every year after.
Who is eligible for transitional kindergarten in 2026-27?
For 2025-26 and later, a child who will turn four by September 1 must be admitted to TK under 48000(c). For 2026-27 that means a birthday on or before September 1, 2022.
Is TK the same as kindergarten?
The statute calls TK the first year of a two-year kindergarten program, with a curriculum suited to the child’s age and development.
My child turns five on September 2. What happens?
The child misses that year’s kindergarten cutoff. The statute lets a district board consider early admission case by case, but only if it finds that is in the child’s best interests and the parent has received the required information.
How did the cutoff change over time?
The statute lists December 2 for 2011-12, November 1 for 2012-13, October 1 for 2013-14, and September 1 for 2014-15 onward.
Does passing the check enroll my child?
No. It checks the birthday against the statute. Your district runs TK and kindergarten enrollment.
How does California compare with Texas?
Both use September 1 with a birthday on that date counting. Arizona and Missouri word theirs as “before”, so see the state-by-state page.
General information, not legal advice
This page applies the quoted statute to the dates you enter. It is an unofficial guide, not run by the California Department of Education or any district, and nothing you type is transmitted anywhere. Confirm eligibility with your school district.