Anonymous wrote:This is OP - I think my child would do quite well in K if he went "on time," as he is doing great in junior kindergarten... but I'm thinking longer term, like middle school or high school, it might be hard to always be the youngest one. I appreciate all of the thoughtful responses on this thread.

Someone has to be the youngest!

Didn’t even know red shirting was a thing when my kid started school, he’s a June birthday and he is not quite the youngest but close in his current 8th grade at a competitive private. He is physically and socially totally equal with his classmates

This is OP - I think my child would do quite well in K if he went "on time," as he is doing great in junior kindergarten... but I'm thinking longer term, like middle school or high school, it might be hard to always be the youngest one. I appreciate all of the thoughtful responses on this thread.

It's so much easier all the way though to be older. And it seems at the privates there are really few summer birthday kids that are on-time so your child really would feel like the youngest kid. More wiggly/less focused when younger. Unable to drive Junior year when older. Very young going off to college...

Consider your child socially--are they exceptionally mature for their age? If not, I wouldl wait.

Beauvoir K family here. The only redshirt in my son's class is a Aug birthday. Otherwise everyone is turning 6 after Sep 1 (a few birthdays already). My kid has a fall birthday and seems older than some of the summer birthdays. We went to a birthday this summer for a prek friend who turned 5. She is in K this year.

In Virginia, Burgundy Farm accepts summer birthday kids without pushing to redshirt.

There are many on time boys in my son's middle ES grade at St. Pat's. I will say the one August bday boy that I know seems incredibly immature emotionally, even though his parents harp on how academically "advanced" he is.

My kid’s K class at Sheridan had summer birthday boys and girls who went “on time”. There were two kids (a boy and a girl) who were red shirted. They had July and August birthdays, and the decision was the parent’s, not the schools.

I wish the DC schools offered Pre First like the Baltimore schools.

NPS - there are summer birthday boys in Kindergarten. They did tend to start earlier though (prek3 or prek4) or be siblings.

She's not asking whether she should redshirt, but rather which schools are offering acceptances to boys who are the "right age" for their grade. OP, the answer is all of them. Every time a question like this is asked the rabid redshirters come out with their "n" of one. Apply, see if your DS gets in, and then decide whether you send him or not.

*if

And remember… it all gets real in high school. You don’t want to be the youngest/shortest/least mature then. But it you are more academically advanced, it helps. That’s the payoff.

Just go to your local public K for one year while applying to your private option. Do K twice. That’s the redshirt moment.

Better than an extra year of preschool.

Anonymous wrote:I have seen May-July birthday boys who went on time at Beauvoir. I have also seen April and May birthdays that were redshirted…

Redshirting an April or May birthday seems excessive.

Anonymous wrote:I regret not red shirting my May bday son. He's 14 now so too late. Doing OK but it'd be a very different story if he were one year older. It's an enormous advantage and I would recommend to anyone I know to give the gift to their kid.

Have you talked to your child? We sent ours in and they are glad we didn't hold them back. They would have missed out on so many things that go by grade not age.