Anonymous wrote:This thread is making me nervous. Kids really repeat a grade when they go to private schools? How did your children handle that? My children would be so upset if they had to repeat a grade. Is this really very common? Is this with boys and girls? Is this only in the Big 3 schools or is this common in all the schools? I have children with two summer birthdays and didn't anticipate this at all. They were both ready for kindergarten are doing great in their (public) schools.

You explain to your children that the best thing for them is to be in the grade with other children who are closest in age to them. My kids were excited to go to their new school and didn't have a problem with this at all.

This thread is making me nervous. Kids really repeat a grade when they go to private schools? How did your children handle that? My children would be so upset if they had to repeat a grade. Is this really very common? Is this with boys and girls? Is this only in the Big 3 schools or is this common in all the schools? I have children with two summer birthdays and didn't anticipate this at all. They were both ready for kindergarten are doing great in their (public) schools.

Anonymous wrote:It is common for kids to repeat a grade when they go to private. Make your best choice now, and don't worry about the future. Because repeating is common in the move to private, you have an even easier choice. When you're ready to move him, you'll be able to evaluate where he is and whether red shirting would be a benefit or not.

+1 -- my 3 summer birthday kids all repeated a grade when entering private in MS; not a big deal at all

Make your decision in the here and now. If he's ready for K, do K. (FWIW, admission directors advising a parent to redshirt in anticipation of a five-year transfer strikes me as borderline unprofessional.)

DS was the youngest in his class when he transferred from public to private at Grade 7. It worked out fine.

Here's what you know: he's ready for kindergarten now.

Here's what you don't know:

whether you'll want him to go to private school, five years from now
what his academic strengths and weaknesses will be, five years from now
whether the private school will want you to hold him back a year, five years from now

Basically, one certainty vs. a bunch of uncertainties. So I don't understand why this is a dilemma.

Don't red shirt.

In 5 years the age won't matter. Don't red shirt

The only reason it is common for kids to repeat a year when they go private at certain schools in this area is because those schools never had any summer birthday boys regardless of their individual characteristics. Talk qto some actual parents of current early years kids at the schools you expect to be applying to in five years.

It is common for kids to repeat a grade when they go to private. Make your best choice now, and don't worry about the future. Because repeating is common in the move to private, you have an even easier choice. When you're ready to move him, you'll be able to evaluate where he is and whether red shirting would be a benefit or not.

Redshirt when you switch

It's very common for kids to repeat a grade when they go to private. It probably won't be necessary if he's performing well and the public school curriculum matches the privates. If he does stay back, it won't be a big deal if you don't make it one. It's something we have actually made part of our plan - we're going to keep out august kid at his proper grade level until he enters private.

I don't see this as tricky at all.

I think that IF in five years you regret not redshirting, you are just as likely to regret it if ds is in public school as if ds is in private. Issues related to maturity, organization, size, developmental stage are likely to crop up in either/any environment.

Also, private K is usually more developmentally appropriate/less academic than public, so if you think he's going to be fine in public K, I don't see why you'd worry at all.

But also - all kinds of things happen. Plans change, jobs change, people move, you and your kid may love his school and not want to switch him. I'd just worry about now.

Send him. Why hold your child back if they are ready and able to go to school.

You really shouldn't waste time worrying about this now. If he's ready now, then he's ready now - send him to K. There is no way for you to predict now where he will be academically, physically, and emotionally 5 years from now. And this comes from someone who did redshirt her child because he clearly wasn't ready for K.

Redshirting politics aside, our situation may be a tad trickier than most and I'd appreciate your perspective. DH has a job that is going to triple in salary in 5 years. We have to do public schools at this time, and DS is a August birthday. He is really ready for K. Our concern us that if we move him to a private school in 5 years or for middle school that we will regret not redshirting. I've talked to some admissions directors and they have encouraged us to redshirt. The problem? DS is seriously ready for public K, both academically and maturity wise. Plus he's big for his age. I think he needs to be in K, but I'm worried we will really regret this later. Admission director told us we could have him repeat a grade when he enters private school, but that seems really hard self esteem wise to me. Thoughts? What would you do?