Redshirting - What is a reasonable birthday cutoff?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I think anytime that's after the end of the school year. If a kid is 6 for all of Kindergarten that seems reasonable. A child turning 7 during K just looks weird.

I have to agree with this. If your child turns 7 in K that's too much.

When we were looking at private schools for DC1 (March birthday so not an issue) we asked the question in thinking about DC2 (late August), and while no school would confess to an absolute rule, this was the general rule of thumb that came out - no turning 7 in K. FWIW the school pushed us to hold DC2 back when he entered this year.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I think anytime that's after the end of the school year. If a kid is 6 for all of Kindergarten that seems reasonable. A child turning 7 during K just looks weird.

Agree.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Doesn't matter what it is because those people with bdays close to it will still hold them back. It's a question of relative age.

The school where a relative works (west coast private) moved the cutoff to June 1 and I heard that it reduced the amount of redshirting. (Of course I assume as a private, most of that was redshirting they were recommending or could control.) They apparently don't see the same rate of redshirting with the June date and as far as I know school administration is happy with the change. Anyhow, one data point.

If I had to pick a cutoff it would be July 1.

[Anonymous]

Dec 31. There was less drama back then.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I think anytime that's after the end of the school year. If a kid is 6 for all of Kindergarten that seems reasonable. A child turning 7 during K just looks weird.

Agree.

Same. I was 5 when I started first grade and that wasn't weird back then!

[Anonymous]

To really end red-shirting, you would move the date back to, say, June 1 -- for boys only.

Not going to happen.