Overview
- NWEA released a new analysis using MAP Growth data from more than three million kindergartners that finds older starters begin ahead but are on par by third grade, with researchers pointing to instruction aimed at the class middle and noting the sample may not be nationally representative.
- Redshirting stayed rare at about 5% from 2017 to 2025, rose to 6.4% in fall 2021, and then returned to prior levels, including 4.4% last school year.
- The practice is most common for white boys and in low-poverty and rural schools, while rates are lowest in high-poverty schools and among Asian American students.
- Families face real tradeoffs, including about $12,000 for an extra year of child care and a higher chance a student turns 18 before graduating and leaves high school.
- In California, the expansion of transitional kindergarten offers a free local route to a later start for some children, and districts decide whether 5-year-olds may enroll.