# Graduation calculator by birthday

Finds the high school graduation year (class of) from a birthday and the kindergarten cutoff date, with the kindergarten start year, the college graduation year and the grade on a given date.

- Page: https://www.acalculator.org/education/graduation-year-calculator
- JSON spec: https://www.acalculator.org/education/graduation-year-calculator.json
- Version: 754b54c4660d

## Default answer

Example with the default inputs (Birthday June 15, 2015, Cutoff month September, Cutoff day 1, Years held back or skipped 0, Grade on this date October 2, 2026) on the example date Friday, October 2, 2026: Born June 15, 2015, the student graduates high school with the class of 2033.

## Inputs

| Key | Label | Description |
| --- | --- | --- |
| b | Birthday | The student’s date of birth. |
| cm | Cutoff month | The month of the kindergarten cutoff: a child must be 5 on or before the cutoff date. |
| cd | Cutoff day | The day of the month of the cutoff date; September 1 is the most common. |
| a | Years held back or skipped | Years started late or repeated (+1, +2) or grades skipped (−1, −2); 0 if none. |
| on | Grade on this date | Optional: the date for which to show the grade, such as today. |

## Outputs

| Key | Label | Description |
| --- | --- | --- |
| classOf | High school class of | The spring of the 13th school year after kindergarten starts: kindergarten year + 13. |
| kindergarten | Starts kindergarten | The fall of the first school year in which the child is 5 on or before the cutoff, plus any adjustment. |
| age | Age at graduation (June 1) | Age in whole years on June 1 of the graduation year. |
| college | College class of | A 4-year bachelor’s degree straight after high school: high school year + 4. |
| grade | Grade on the date | The grade in the school year (July 1 to June 30) that holds the date you chose. |

## Method

Kindergarten starts in the fall of the first school year in which the child is 5 on or before the cutoff date, plus any years held back or skipped; high school class of = that year + 13; college = + 4.

## Assumptions

- US schools: kindergarten, then grades 1 to 12, one grade a year, graduating in the spring (taken as June 1).
- A cutoff from July to December falls in the fall the school year starts; January to June, in the following calendar year.
- A school year runs from July 1 to June 30. States and districts set their own cutoffs and exceptions.
- Birthdays and cutoffs compare by month and day: February 29 comes after February 28 in every year.

## Worked examples

1. b = 2010-03-15, cm = 9, cd = 1, a = 0 gives kindergarten = fall 2015, classOf = 2028, age = 18, college = 2032. Source: NCES, State Education Reforms, Table 5.3: kindergarten entrance age by state, 2018 (most states: a child enters kindergarten if 5 on or before a cutoff date, often September 1, such as “5 on or before 9/01” in Alabama, Illinois and Texas; Connecticut January 1; Delaware and Hawaii July 31), https://nces.ed.gov/programs/statereform/tab5_3.asp (retrieved 2026-10-02).
2. b = 2010-10-01, cm = 9, cd = 1, a = 0 gives kindergarten = fall 2016, classOf = 2029, age = 18. Source: NCES, State Education Reforms, Table 5.3: kindergarten entrance age by state, 2018 (most states: a child enters kindergarten if 5 on or before a cutoff date, often September 1, such as “5 on or before 9/01” in Alabama, Illinois and Texas; Connecticut January 1; Delaware and Hawaii July 31), https://nces.ed.gov/programs/statereform/tab5_3.asp (retrieved 2026-10-02).
3. b = 2010-09-01, cm = 9, cd = 1, a = 0 gives kindergarten = fall 2015, classOf = 2028, age = 17. Source: NCES, State Education Reforms, Table 5.3: kindergarten entrance age by state, 2018 (most states: a child enters kindergarten if 5 on or before a cutoff date, often September 1, such as “5 on or before 9/01” in Alabama, Illinois and Texas; Connecticut January 1; Delaware and Hawaii July 31), https://nces.ed.gov/programs/statereform/tab5_3.asp (retrieved 2026-10-02).
4. b = 2010-12-15, cm = 1, cd = 1, a = 0 gives kindergarten = fall 2015, classOf = 2028. Source: NCES, State Education Reforms, Table 5.3: kindergarten entrance age by state, 2018 (most states: a child enters kindergarten if 5 on or before a cutoff date, often September 1, such as “5 on or before 9/01” in Alabama, Illinois and Texas; Connecticut January 1; Delaware and Hawaii July 31), https://nces.ed.gov/programs/statereform/tab5_3.asp (retrieved 2026-10-02).
5. b = 2015-06-15, cm = 9, cd = 1, a = 0, on = 2026-10-02 gives kindergarten = fall 2020, classOf = 2033, grade = 6th grade. Source: NCES, State Education Reforms, Table 5.3: kindergarten entrance age by state, 2018 (most states: a child enters kindergarten if 5 on or before a cutoff date, often September 1, such as “5 on or before 9/01” in Alabama, Illinois and Texas; Connecticut January 1; Delaware and Hawaii July 31), https://nces.ed.gov/programs/statereform/tab5_3.asp (retrieved 2026-10-02).
6. b = 2010-03-15, cm = 9, cd = 1, a = 1 gives kindergarten = fall 2016, classOf = 2029, age = 19. Source: NCES, State Education Reforms, Table 5.3: kindergarten entrance age by state, 2018 (most states: a child enters kindergarten if 5 on or before a cutoff date, often September 1, such as “5 on or before 9/01” in Alabama, Illinois and Texas; Connecticut January 1; Delaware and Hawaii July 31), https://nces.ed.gov/programs/statereform/tab5_3.asp (retrieved 2026-10-02).

## FAQ

### How do I work out my graduation year from my birthday?

Find the fall you started kindergarten: the first school year in which you were 5 on or before the cutoff date. Add 13 (kindergarten plus grades 1 to 12). Born March 15, 2010 with a September 1 cutoff: kindergarten in fall 2015, class of 2028.

### What if my birthday is right after the cutoff?

Then you wait a year. Born October 1, 2010 with a September 1 cutoff, you were not yet 5 on September 1, 2015, so kindergarten started in fall 2016 and you graduate with the class of 2029.

### What if my birthday is on the cutoff date?

Most state rules say 5 “on or before” the cutoff, so a birthday on the cutoff day counts. Born September 1, 2010: kindergarten in fall 2015, class of 2028, at age 17.

### What kindergarten cutoff does my state use?

It varies. NCES Table 5.3 (2018) lists September 1 for many states, such as Alabama, Illinois and Texas; Delaware and Hawaii used July 31, Colorado October 1, and Connecticut January 1. Some states let districts decide. Check your state or district.

### How does a January cutoff work?

A cutoff from January to June falls inside the school year, so a child must be 5 by that date in the next calendar year. With a January 1 cutoff, a child born December 15, 2010 is 5 by January 1, 2016, so starts kindergarten in fall 2015.

### What if the student was held back or skipped a grade?

Type +1 for each year started late or repeated, or −1 for each grade skipped. Held back one year, the March 2010 birthday graduates with the class of 2029 instead of 2028.

### What grade is my child in?

Type the date (it starts at today). The school year is taken as July 1 to June 30. A child born June 15, 2015 started kindergarten in fall 2020, so on October 2, 2026 is in 6th grade.

## Sources

- NCES, State Education Reforms, Table 5.3: kindergarten entrance age by state, 2018 (most states: a child enters kindergarten if 5 on or before a cutoff date, often September 1, such as “5 on or before 9/01” in Alabama, Illinois and Texas; Connecticut January 1; Delaware and Hawaii July 31). https://nces.ed.gov/programs/statereform/tab5_3.asp (retrieved 2026-10-02)