It sounds odd to apply to would-be kindergartners the term “redshirting"—a phrase that once referred strictly to college athletes delaying participation in their respective sports to extend eligibility. But in recent decades, its meaning has expanded to include young children whose school start is intentionally delayed.
Parents who “academic redshirt” their children delay kindergarten entry even when they’re age-eligible—often citing social-emotional immaturity or a late birthday compared to same-grade peers. While the term itself has become commonplace, the practice itself has remained relatively uncommon: about 5% of eligible children are redshirted, according to new data.
The leveling off of academic redshirting may come as a surprise to those who follow trends in early education. For instance, ramped-up academic expectations and reduced playtime make many of today’s kindergarten classrooms feel more like yesterday’s 1st grade. And nationwide, teachers report that children from preschool through 3rd grade struggle with basic tasks like following instructions and tying their shoes more than their same-age peers did two years ago, suggesting continued fallout from the pandemic.
New data showing a stagnating percentage of parents redshirting their would-be kindergartners surprised even the researchers who analyzed the data.
“Given the rise in the discussion of redshirting, anecdotally and in parent forums, I thought we would see a rise in rates. But it seems like maybe more parents are considering it and then ultimately, still just enrolling their kids kind of on time,” said Megan Kuhfeld, director of growth modeling and data analytics at NWEA, developer of pre-K—12 academic assessments that just released a report on redshirting’s latest nationwide statistics.
So, why aren’t more parents redshirting their children?
Multiple factors may be at play. Evolving age requirements for kindergarten entry, tougher district restrictions around redshirting, and costs of childcare could be keeping kindergarten redshirting from escalating.
Changing kindergarten entry rules
Years ago, entry into formal school followed the calendar year: Children who turned 5 between January 1 and December 31 would be eligible for kindergarten. In many states, that’s no longer the case.
Now, most states require children to turn 5 well before the end of the calendar year in order to enroll in kindergarten. At least 20 states set Sept. 1 as the cutoff for entering kindergarten as of 2020. Children turning 5 after Sept. 1 need to wait until the following year to start kindergarten. A handful of states list even earlier dates as the cutoff for eligibility. Some states do, however, offer age exemptions or waivers for kindergarten entrance.
By moving up the eligibility date for kindergarten enrollment, states seem to be sending a message. In some states, that message is coming from teachers.
Connecticut is one such example. During the 2023 legislative session of the Connecticut General Assembly, testimony in support of a bill to move up the date of the automatic kindergarten cutoff age of 5 from January 1 to Sept. 1 included this argument: “Long-term teachers indicated that in recent years, kindergarten has become more demanding than ever before and, as a result, the youngest students struggle and sometimes repeat kindergarten.” The legislation, which reflects a broader shift toward aligning school entry with perceived readiness, did pass. Children in Connecticut now must turn 5 by September 1 to enroll in kindergarten.
Districts are cracking down on redshirting
While most states have moved up the eligibility birth date for kindergarten enrollment by four months, some districts have also begun cracking down on redshirting.
The District of Columbia public schools this school year began enforcing a longstanding requirement that children who turn 5 on or before Sept. 30 must enter kindergarten that school year. The abrupt crackdown caught some parents by surprise; for years, families had been able to hold their children back a year with relative ease. That is no longer the case.
It’s unclear how long the age requirement has been in effect in DC public schools. However, a letter from the Council of the District of Columbia dated July 8, 2025, acknowledged that, historically, families could easily circumvent the requirement. An excerpt from that letter reads: “DCPS has not previously enforced these rules as strictly as it proposes to do this year and has allowed children with birthdays close to September 30th and/or with special circumstances to enroll in kindergarten even though they will turn six before September 30th.”
A spokesperson for the school system told Education Week that the district needed to “start enforcing the law systemwide instead of making exceptions for individual families.”
Other districts appear poised to make similar decisions.
For instance, Georgia’s Gwinnett County Public Schools is putting an end to redshirting, starting in the 2026–27 school year, according to local news reports. That means that any child who is 6 years old by the start of the school year will be placed in 1st grade.
Holding kids back from kindergarten can be expensive for parents
Districts that are doing away with redshirting may also be doing a favor for parents, especially those from lower socioeconomic backgrounds. Holding back a child from kindergarten can mean paying for an extra year of childcare, which averages $12,000 annually, according to the recently released NWEA analysis of kindergarten redshirting.
That may be why families in high-poverty districts are far less likely to redshirt their children than those from low-poverty districts. In 2025, 3.2% of children from high-poverty districts were redshirted, compared to 6.8% in low-poverty districts.
As some districts clamp down on redshirting, many others continue to allow parents to decide when to start their children’s formal education. And from financial factors to parents’ perceptions of their children’s school readiness, these decisions can be tough to make alone.
“We recommend that parents reach out to their preschool or daycare teachers, and talk to the folks at the school that their kid would be going to [for kindergarten] when making this decision,” said NWEA’s Kuhfeld. “But we don’t have a good sense of how common that was, versus just parents saying, ‘No, I know what’s best for my kid. They’re going to wait an additional year.’”
