Find your child’s grade or school year from their birthday
Which grade a child is in depends on two things: their date of birth and the cut-off date their school system uses. This school year calculator applies the official cut-off for several US states, England and Wales, Scotland and India and tells you what grade, year group or class your child is in for this school year or any other, when they started (or will start) school, and when they finish.
It is information only: individual schools and districts can place children differently — for example after holding a child back, early entry or a deferred start — and many places have their own rules. Each result names the rule it used.
How to use the What Grade Is My Child In?
- Enter your child’s date of birth.
- Choose the school system: a US state (or enter your own cut-off), England and Wales, Scotland or India.
- Leave the school year empty for the current year, or enter the year a school year starts to look ahead or back.
- Read the grade or year group, the start and finish years and the table of nearby years.
What Grade Is My Child In? features
US grades
Kindergarten to 12th grade with state cut-offs, transitional kindergarten in California, and a custom cut-off.
UK year groups
Reception to Year 13 for England and Wales; P1 to S6 for Scotland with deferral notes.
India classes
Balvatika and Class 1–12 with the NEP 2020 / KVS rule of Class 1 at 6.
Any year
Look up the grade for past or future school years and the graduation year.
Cut-off dates used
| System | Rule (as of 25 October 2026) |
|---|---|
| California, Connecticut, Florida, Illinois, Texas | Kindergarten at 5 on or before 1 September (California: TK at 4 by 1 September) |
| New York City | Kindergarten in September of the calendar year the child turns 5 |
| England and Wales | School year 1 September – 31 August; Reception the September after the 4th birthday |
| Scotland | Year group born March–February; P1 from mid-August at about 4½–5½ |
| India (KVS / NEP 2020) | Age on 31 March of the session year; Class 1 at 6 |
How the grade is worked out
For each school year, the calculator finds your child’s age on the cut-off date of that year — 1 September for most of the listed US states, 31 December in New York City, 31 August in England and Wales, the end of February in Scotland and 31 March in India. That age gives the grade: 5 is kindergarten in the US, 4 is Reception in England, 4 is P1 in Scotland and 6 is Class 1 in India, and each year after that moves up one. The current school year is taken to start in August or September (April in India).
Summer birthdays, deferral and holding back
Children born just before the cut-off are the youngest in their year — in England, August-born children; in the US, those born in August; in Scotland, those born in January and February, who may defer P1 automatically. Parents in England can ask for a summer-born child to start Reception at 5; US families can sometimes delay kindergarten (“redshirting”). This calculator assumes the usual placement; for the admission rules for the first class, see the school admission age calculator.
What Grade Is My Child In? FAQ
What grade should my child be in based on their birthday?
In most US states, a child who turns 5 by 1 September starts kindergarten that school year, and moves up a grade each year. Enter the birthday and state above to see the grade for any year.
What year is my child in at school in the UK?
In England and Wales, year groups run from 1 September to 31 August. A child who is 4 on 31 August starts Reception that September; Year 1 at 5, up to Year 13 at 17.
What class should my child be in India?
Under NEP 2020 and the KVS rules, Class 1 is for children aged 6 on 31 March of the session year, after three years of Balvatika. Some states and boards still use other ages and dates.
When does my child start school in Scotland?
Children born between March and the following February start P1 together in August, aged about 4½ to 5½. January and February births can defer by a year automatically.
My state is not listed — what can I do?
Choose “other state” and enter your state’s or district’s cut-off date, for example 09-01 for 1 September.