# Graduation Year by Birthday Calculator URL: https://speedycalculator.com/calculators/other/graduation-by-birthday/ Last updated: 2026-10-30 > The graduation by birthday calculator predicts the year a child will graduate from US high school from their date of birth and their state's kindergarten entry cut-off date, and also shows when they start kindergarten, middle school and high school. ## Inputs - State or district - Cut-off month (1–12) - Cut-off day - Date of birth ## Results - Expected graduation - Kindergarten starts - Middle school (6th grade) starts - High school (9th grade) starts - Age when kindergarten starts - Age at graduation (1 June) - Kindergarten cut-off used - Grade in the current school year ## Formula ``` Kindergarten year = birth year + 5 (or + 6 if born after the state cut-off) · Class of = kindergarten year + 13 ``` ## Explanation When a child graduates depends less on the birth year than on the birthday relative to the state cut-off date. Most US states require a child to be five years old on or before a fixed date – 1 September in more than half of the states, but 31 July in Hawaii, 1 August in Indiana and Kentucky, 1 October in Colorado and 15 October in Maine. A child born one day after the cut-off waits a full year and becomes one of the oldest in the next class. Choose the state and enter the date of birth. The calculator finds the first fall in which the child is five by the cut-off, adds thirteen school years (kindergarten to 12th grade) and gives the graduation year, together with the grade the child is in during the current school year. Where the state leaves the date to local districts (for example Massachusetts, New Jersey, New York and Pennsylvania), a common local date is assumed – pick "Custom cut-off date" to enter your district's own. Families can sometimes delay kindergarten by a year ("redshirting") or request early entry; both shift the graduation year by one. State cut-offs come from the National Center for Education Statistics state policy table, updated for Connecticut's move to 1 September. ### How to use the Graduation Year by Birthday Calculator - **State or district** - **Cut-off month (1–12)** - **Cut-off day** - **Date of birth** Everything is calculated in your browser, so results appear instantly and nothing you type is sent to a server. ### How it works The state cut-off decides whether the child starts kindergarten in the fall of the year they turn five or the year after. Graduation is in the spring thirteen school years after kindergarten starts. ### Worked example A child born on 12 April 2020 in California (cut-off 1 September) turns five on 12 April 2025, before the cut-off, so kindergarten starts in fall 2025. Thirteen school years later the child graduates in spring 2038 – the **Class of 2038** – aged 18. Born on 12 September 2020 instead, the child would start in 2026 and graduate in 2039. ### Kindergarten cut-off dates by state StateChild must be 5 byAlabamaSep 1AlaskaSep 1ArizonaAug 31ArkansasAug 1CaliforniaSep 1ColoradoOct 1ConnecticutSep 1DelawareAug 31District of ColumbiaSep 30FloridaSep 1GeorgiaSep 1HawaiiJul 31IdahoSep 1IllinoisSep 1IndianaAug 1IowaSep 15KansasAug 31KentuckyAug 1LouisianaSep 30MaineOct 15MarylandSep 1MassachusettsSep 1 (district sets – Sep 1 assumed)MichiganSep 1MinnesotaSep 1MississippiSep 1MissouriJul 31MontanaSep 10NebraskaJul 31NevadaSep 30New HampshireSep 30 (district sets – Sep 30 assumed)New JerseyOct 1 (district sets – Oct 1 assumed)New MexicoAug 31New YorkDec 31 (district sets – NYC uses Dec 31)North CarolinaAug 31North DakotaJul 31OhioSep 30 (districts may use Aug 1)OklahomaSep 1OregonSep 1PennsylvaniaSep 1 (district sets – Sep 1 assumed)Rhode IslandSep 1South CarolinaSep 1South DakotaSep 1TennesseeAug 15TexasSep 1UtahSep 1VermontSep 1 (district sets – Sep 1 assumed)VirginiaSep 30WashingtonAug 31West VirginiaAug 31WisconsinSep 1WyomingSep 15 ## Worked example Inputs — State or district: California – 5 by Sep 1; Date of birth: 2020-04-12. Results — **Expected graduation = Class of 2038**; Kindergarten starts = Fall 2025; Middle school (6th grade) starts = Fall 2031; High school (9th grade) starts = Fall 2034; Age when kindergarten starts = 5 (on 1 September 2025); Age at graduation (1 June) = 18. ## Key terms - **Cut-off date**: The date by which a child must turn five to enter kindergarten that year. - **Redshirting**: Delaying kindergarten entry by a year. - **Class of**: The year a student graduates from high school. ## FAQ **What year will my child graduate based on their birthday?** In a state with a 1 September cut-off, a child born on 12 April 2020 starts kindergarten in fall 2025 and graduates with the Class of 2038. **What if my child's birthday is right after the cut-off?** They start kindergarten a year later and graduate a year later, as one of the oldest in their class. **Which states have the earliest cut-offs?** Hawaii and Nebraska (31 July), Missouri and North Dakota (before 1 August), and Arkansas, Indiana and Kentucky (1 August). **Which states let districts decide?** Massachusetts, New Jersey, New York and Pennsylvania leave the date to local districts; New York City uses 31 December. **How old are students when they graduate?** Usually 17 or 18; those born just after the cut-off are often 18 or 19. **Can I start my child in kindergarten early?** Some states allow early entry after an assessment; it moves graduation one year earlier. ## Sources - [NCES – State education reforms, Table 5.3: kindergarten entrance age by state](https://nces.ed.gov/programs/statereform/tab5_3.asp) - [Education Commission of the States – 50-state comparison: K-3 policies](https://www.ecs.org/50-state-comparison-state-k-3-policies-2023/)