Kindergarten Enrollment Eligibility FAQ

Ohio House Bill 114 updated kindergarten age-eligibility requirements statewide. Beginning with the 2026–27 school year, all Ohio school districts must use the first official day of school as the eligibility cutoff date for kindergarten admittance. 

To be eligible for kindergarten in the 2026–27 school year, a child must be five years old on or before August 18, 2026, the first official day of school for Shaker Heights Schools. This replaces the previous September 30 cutoff. 

Most children who are four years old on the first day of school will no longer be eligible to enroll in kindergarten under the new state law. 

Yes. Existing early entrance options remain in place: 

• Early entrance may be considered for children who turn five by January 1, 2027, following a successful referral and comprehensive evaluation process. 
• Students who are formally accelerated may be eligible for early entrance. 

Research and experience clearly indicate that most children will have a more successful school experience if they enter school with children of or near their chronological age. It is recognized through research, however, that there are intellectually and socially mature children who could benefit from early admission to kindergarten/first grade. The purpose of the early entrance process is to use multiple factors to identify children with above average intelligence, accelerated academic skills and well developed social-emotional status for which early entrance would be in their best interest to address their needs. 

To learn more about early entrance, please visit the District's Early Entrance webpage.

Yes. Early entrance is not guaranteed. Eligibility is dependent upon the successful completion of the district’s referral and evaluation process. The evaluation process for early entrance is a rigorous process involving multiple standardized assessments over several days and is considered a whole grade acceleration.

No. Students attending the Ludlow Early Learning Center program who are not five years of age on or before the first day of school are not eligible for kindergarten. 

Please contact the Shaker Heights Schools Welcome Center for questions related to kindergarten eligibility and registration. The Welcome Center is located on the second floor of the Shaker Heights Public Library's Main Branch at 16500 Van Aken Boulevard. They may also be reached via phone at 216-295-4321.