School Age and Grade Levels in the United States

The education system in the United States formally starts with elementary school where the first year is known as Kindergarten, followed by 1st Grade through to 6th Grade.

In Western societies such as the US and Europe, there is a trend of smaller age-gaps between spouses, reaching its peak average in Southern Europe of 3.3 years. Using the same pathogen-stress model, there is a lower prevalence of disease in these economically developed areas, and therefore a reduced stress on reproduction for survival.

Elementary school is followed by High School which runs from 7th Grade to 12th Grade and is sometimes split into a Middle School from 6th Grade to 8th Grade followed by High School.

Most children commence kindergarten at the age of 5 or 6 years old, subject to local State requirements.

The school year starts in September and runs to end of June the following year, generally with 3 semesters or terms per year.

Pre School

Pre-school in the US, also known as pre-kindergarten or pre-k usually runs for 1-2 years when the child is 3 and 4 years old. Pre-kindergarten in the US is not part of the government education system and is not mandatory. Pre-school programs are administered by private companies, community groups or childcare providers.

• The national average age for marriage today in the United States is a median age of 27 years old for women and 29 years old for men. This, of course, varies from state to state. Most people will marry between the ages of 25 and 30. Women get married at a younger average age than men get married.
• Median age of the U.S. Population 1960-2019. In 2018, the median age of the population of the United States was 38.4 years. While this may seem quite young, the median age in 1960 was even younger.

Average Age Of Dating Begins In Usa In 2018

Elementary School

While the requirements are different in each state most children commence elementary or primary school (sometimes called Grade or Grammar school) at 5 or 6 years old.

The first grade of elementary is called kindergarten, and while not compulsory in many states almost all children do go to Kindergarten. Kindergarten can be either a full day or part day program depending on the state or territory you are in.

Elementary is almost always co-educational with mixed boys and girls in the same class in the public schooling system.

In at least 40 states and districts, schools are required to offer a kindergarten program, however less than half of these are required to be a full day, with the majority only required to offer a part time kindergarten program. Of these, just 18 states actually make kindergarten attendance mandatory.

School Ages and Grade Levels

The table below outlines the child age for each school grade in the US.

At the start of Elementary school, students are 5 or 6 years old in Kindergarten. In 1st Grade students are 6 or 7 years old. And at the end of Elementary School in 5th Grade, students are 10 or 11 years old.

At the start of Middle School, students in 6th grade are 11 or 12 years old. Students start High School in 9th Grade in Freshman year at 13 or 14 years old.

How Old Are You in Each School Grade?

High School Graduation

Students in the USA will usually commence their final year, 12th Grade / Senior Year, at the age of 17 or 18 years old. At the end of the school yea most students are 18 years of age. Use the tool above to calculate what year will your child graduate high school.

Kindergarten Age by State USA

California

Children in California can commence kindergarten if the child has turned 5 years old by the 1st of September in that year. Kindergarten is not mandatory in California however nearly all students will attend.

California also has Transitional Kindergarten which is a free public school program for 4-year-olds who turn 5 between 2nd of September and 2nd of December. It is an extra school grade that is designed to assist younger children and be a bridge between preschool and kindergarten.

Texas

Kindergarten in Texas commences if the child has turned 5 years old by the 1st of September. Kindergarten is not mandatory by law, however children must be enrolled in a school by the time they are 6 years old. Use the School Age Calculator Texas to determine starting year in kindergarten in Texas.

Florida

Kindergarten in Florida commences if the child has turned 5 years old by the 1st of September. Schools are required by law to offer at least a half day kindergarten program, however it is not mandatory for children to attend.

Children who are 6 or who will turn 6 by 1st Feb must be enrolled in school in that year. Use the school age calculator Florida to determine starting the year for kindergarten based on child’s age.

New York

New York does not have a standard state-wide cut-off age to attend school and entry requirements are set by local school boards. The most common age requirement set by schools is that children are 5 years old before the 1st of December to attend kindergarten in that September that year, however the 1st of August is also commonplace.

Kindergarten attendance is not mandatory in New York however children must be enrolled in school by the age of 6 years old. Use the school age calculator New York above to determine year of entry into school.

Pennsylvania

The minimum age at which a child can attend kindergarten in Pennsylvania is if the child has turned 4 years and 7 month old by the first day of school, commonly on the 1st of September each year.

Pennsylvania has recently changed its mandatory school age from 8 years old to 6, whereby any child who turn 6 years old before 1st of September must be enrolled in school that year.

Illinois

Kindergarten in Illinois commences if the child has turned 5 years old by the 1st of September. Kindergarten is not mandatory however children must be enrolled in school in a given year if they will turn 6 years old before the 1st of September. Use the calculator to determine school year based on date of birth for Illinois.

Ohio

Ohio does not have a standard state wide cut off age for entry into kindergarten and entry requirements are set by district school boards. Most commonly schools adopt one of two dates, if child is 5 years old by 1st of August or 30th September they will attend in that year. Contact your local school to confirm the cut off age.

It is mandatory for children to attend kindergarten in Ohio. Use the school age calculator Ohio to determine the year of entry.

Georgia

Kindergarten in Georgia commences if the child has turned 5 years old by the 1st of August. Attendance at kindergarten is not mandatory by law however children must be enrolled in school in the year they turn 6 years old.

North Carolina

Kindergarten in North Carolina commences if the child has turned 5 years old by the 31st of August. Attendance at kindergarten is not mandatory by law however children must be enrolled in school in the year they turn 7 years old.

Michigan

Kindergarten in Michigan commences if the child has turned 5 years old by the 1st of September. Attendance at kindergarten is not mandatory by law however children must be enrolled in school if they turn 6 years old by the 1st of December in a given year.

The table below outlines the kindergarten age requirements for all states and territories in the United States.

This post is adapted from the blog of Weddington Way, a Priceonomics customer. Does your company have interesting data? Become a Priceonomics customer.

With Valentine’s Day right around the corner, the consumer frenzy has commenced: heart-shaped boxes of chocolates, roses, and a panoply of frilly cards line shelves across America. And with all the love in the air, something else is abounds: marriage proposals.

February 14th is among the most popular days of the year to get engaged, trailing only Christmas (December 24th-25th) and New Year’s Eve (December 31st). Winter, in general, seems to induce men and women to pop the question, as 30% of all engagements occur in November and December.

Given that we’re in the heart of engagement season, we wanted to quantify some of the specifics of American proposals. While data on average marriage age exist, there isn’t much out there on the specifics of engagements.

So, we surveyed 1,000 recently-engaged Weddington Way customers (all women), posing questions like: How old were you when you got engaged? How old was your partner? And, how long were you dating prior to your engagement? After compiling these responses, we sorted them by geographic region (West, Midwest, South, and Northeast).

We determined that the median engagement age in the United States is 27.2 years for women, and 28.7 years for men -- a 1.5 year difference. Furthermore, the median amount of time a couple dates before the proposal is 3.3 years. But as we found, these numbers vary based on where you live.

Where do men and women tend to get engaged at a younger age (or older age)? And where do couples date each other the longest (or shortest) before making the ultimate commitment?

***

We began by asking our survey respondees how long they’d dated before getting engaged. So first, let’s take a closer look at how exactly the results break down:

Data via Weddington Way survey

Overall, Americans tend to move pretty quickly: nearly half of all engagements occur two years or less into a relationship. On the other end of this spectrum, only 6% of couples date for 8 years or more before getting engaged.

As we mentioned, the average dating time before engagement is 3.3 years -- but does this figure fluctuate by region?

Data via Weddington Way survey

Though by a relatively small margin, couples in the South spend the least time dating prior to engagement. At an average of 2.9 years, Southerners date about 5 months less than the average American before slipping a shiny ring on a finger.

On the other hand, Northeasterners tend to date the longest, at 3.9 years -- a full 12 months more, on average, than Southerners.

So, after the dating phase is over, at what age do men and women typically get engaged? Here’s the full strata of how our respondents answered:

Average Age Of Dating Begins In Usa 2017

On average, women (27.2 years) tend to be 1.5 years younger than their partner (28.7 years) at the time of engagement. About 2.2% of Americans get engaged under the age of 20, 74% in their 20s, 15% in their mid-30s (30-34), and about 8% at the age of 35 or older.

Regionally, the average ages for men and women are surprisingly consistent -- with a few surprises.

Data via Weddington Way survey

While there is little variation in female engagement age in the West, Midwest and South, women in the Northeast get engaged slightly later: there is nearly a one year differential between them (27.8 years) and women in the South (26.9 years). This is primarily driven by New York and Pennsylvania, where our average respondent’s engagement age hovered around 28 years old.

When we limit our data to just women and men engaged under the age of 24 years old, the Northeast’s propensity for older engagements becomes even more apparent:

Data via Weddington Way survey

Only 19% of women in the Northeast get engaged at age 24 or younger. Meanwhile, in the South, this figure is more than double, at 43%. Men in the Northeast present a similar case, with nearly 10% less engagements below age 24.

In the West, the relatively high percentage of younger engagements might be partially explained by Utah, where 60% of the population are of the Mormon faith. In the Mormon culture, young marriages are common, with the average hovering around 23 years of age.

Contrarily, where do people get engaged at older ages?

Again, women from the Northeast bottom out this list (only 4% get engaged at age 35 or older). Northeastern men tell a different story: a whopping 16% get engaged over age 35 -- more than get engaged below age 24.

In our map above (“At What Age Do Couples Get Engaged?”), the Northeast features the largest age division between women and their fiancés, at 2 years. It seems that this is at least in part driven by a much higher percentage of 35+ year old men getting engaged in New York than 35+ year old women.

Average Age Of Dating Begins In Usa Crossword

***

Average Age Of Dating

Whether or not you and your significant other decide to get engaged this Winter (or perhaps you’ve already checked that off the list?), we wish you a festive, romantic Valentine’s Day.

And if you’re over the age of 27.2 and single, take note that the age of engagement (and marriage) has been on the rise for years: in 1990, the average woman tied the knot at 23. The norm for what constitutes as 'marriageable age' changes quickly in America.

Average Age Of Dating Begins In Usa In 2000

In our next post, we take a look at dishes that were once in vogue, but no longer on modern menus. To get notified when we post it →join our email list.