Guides/September school-age cutoff

School-year age by September cutoff

Many school systems place children by age on a fixed date — often 1 September (or 1 August / 31 December). The child’s ageon that cutoff, not on the first day they feel “ready,” drives the year group.

Read the local rule

• Find the official as-of date and the age band for each year.
• “Must be 5 on or before 1 Sep” differs from “must turn 5 during the school year.”
• General cutoff logic:eligibility cutoffs.

Worked examples

1. Cutoff 1 Sep 2026; child born 31 Aug 2021 → age 5 on cutoff.
2. Same cutoff; born 2 Sep 2021 → still 4 on 1 Sep 2026.
3. Check with as-of =future date ageor a past enrollment daypast date age.

Birthday on the cutoff

Policies state whether turning the target ageon the cutoff day counts. Use completed-years math the school publishes —completed years·age from DOB.

Tool

Age Calculator— set as-of to the September (or local) cutoff.