Picture your child has a birthday just weeks or days before your state’s kindergarten entry cutoff. The thought of entering a new and more challenging schooling environment could feel daunting, particularly if your child struggles with some critical social or self-regulation skills. Many families in similar situations may find themselves asking the same question: Should we wait a year?
As concerns grow that kindergarten has become increasingly academic, with higher demands for students to sit and focus, some are referring to kindergarten as “the new first grade.” Conversations around redshirting, or delaying a child’s entry into kindergarten by one year, are becoming more common. But does delaying kindergarten actually grant children a meaningful advantage?
What is redshirting in kindergarten?
In sports, redshirting is a common tactic where athletes delay when they enter into their first competition season, allowing them more time to train. In education, the term has a similar meaning: parents choosing to delay enrolling their kindergarten-aged child by one year.
Even if a child turns five before their state’s cutoff date for kindergarten entry, a family may decide to wait until the child is six. In doing so, a child may benefit from the simple gift of time; having one extra year before entering kindergarten gives kids additional time to get ready, both academically and socially, for their first year of traditional schooling.
How common is redshirting in kindergarten?
Despite redshirting’s growing attention in the media, with articles published by outlets including The New York Times, The Atlantic, and Brookings, kindergarten redshirting rates have remained remarkably stable over time.
We know from historical data that redshirting rates stayed between five and seven percent from the 1990s to the 2010s. In our analysis of more recent MAP® Growth™ data, we found similar rates: about five percent of students redshirt in an average year. While the onset of COVID caused a slight bump in the redshirting rate (from 4.5% in 2020 to 6.4% in 2021), the increased rate did not linger and returned to between four and five percent from 2022 to 2025.
Overall, redshirting is still relatively uncommon, despite increased discussion in education and parenting circles.
Who is more likely to delay kindergarten?
Studies of redshirting have found that historically, the families most likely to opt to redshirt are those with boys, white students, and students with highly educated parents. Our findings were consistent with this pattern: boys and white students in our sample of students who took MAP Growth were the most likely to be redshirted, both pre- and post-pandemic.
We also found that students who entered low-poverty schools and students whose families live in rural areas and towns were more likely to redshirt. Only two to three percent of students in high-poverty schools were redshirted in an average year, compared to around seven percent of students in low-poverty schools.
These trends indicate that the decision to redshirt is multifaceted and that socioeconomic status plays an important role in a family’s ability to delay entering their child into the school system.
Reasons families consider redshirting in kindergarten: Pros and cons
Deciding whether to redshirt is not a simple decision. There are several advantages and disadvantages.
Perceived benefits of redshirting
Families may make the decision to delay their child’s entry into kindergarten based on concerns about their child’s readiness for schooling, both emotionally and academically. Parents’ perception of their child’s social confidence and maturity come into play, especially if their child has a late (typically summer) birthday, resulting in them being the youngest in their class. Redshirting can offer valuable extra time for students to develop more confidence in their academic skills, as well as to develop the social and self-regulation skills that may aid in learning.
The perceptions that “everyone else is redshirting” and that “kindergarten is the new first grade” may also be factors in the decision. Finally, some parents redshirt to give their children a possible physical advantage in sports later on.
Potential downsides of redshirting
While redshirting can be the right choice for some families, the potential downsides may outweigh the benefits. An additional year before entering the school system can add to a family’s childcare costs, for example. Families may also consider that delaying their child’s kindergarten enrollment will lead to a delayed timeline for entering the workforce and potentially affect their child’s lifetime earnings. And not all potentially redshirted kids need an extra year to grow and develop to be successful in kindergarten.
Kindergarten redshirting research: What the evidence shows
Research into kindergarten redshirting reveals some short-term benefits and long-term trade-offs.
Short-term benefits
The research on redshirting tells us that redshirting does provide initial advantages, particularly when students first enter kindergarten. Redshirted students, on average, perform better on kindergarten assessments in both math and reading.
In our research, we looked beyond year-over-year redshirting rates to explore whether redshirting presents an actual academic benefit. We found that redshirting does provide an initial academic advantage: redshirters enter kindergarten with higher test scores than on-time entrants. Benchmarked against the expected average growth for students in kindergarten, the gaps in both math and reading test scores at school entry between redshirters and on-time entrants represent between 20 and 30 percent of a year of learning.
Long-term trade-offs
Despite initial advantages, redshirted students’ average advantage above on-time entrants shrinks as students move through school. We found that the gap began to narrow in first and second grade, and by third grade, redshirters were performing at an equal level to their peers. Other studies of redshirting found similar results: early academic advantages provided by redshirting generally do not persist throughout a student’s time in school.
In general, the research on the long-term outcomes of kindergarten redshirting is mixed, with few studies finding that redshirting benefits students beyond the third grade.
When redshirting might make sense: How to decide
While redshirting is not necessary for most children, it may suit some families’ specific needs, and thoughtful decision-making is essential to make this important choice.
For most children, redshirting is unlikely to provide significant academic benefits that persist further than early grades. Therefore, the decision to redshirt should be based on a student’s individual development, keeping in mind that students enter kindergarten with a wide range of both academic and social-emotional readiness. Redshirting is a highly personal decision for families but may make sense in certain cases, such as for children who have challenges with emotional or behavioral regulation, or children with severe developmental delays.
We encourage families to ask themselves the following questions when deciding:
- What do teachers or caregivers recommend for our child?
- What are the financial and logistical implications for our family?
- What additional supports could our child benefit from once enrolled in kindergarten?
What we still need to learn
While recent research on kindergarten redshirting provides important insights, there is still more to understand about how redshirting affects different children over time.
The research on redshirting, including our recent analysis, mainly focuses on redshirted students’ academic performance. While social development factors into students’ success in learning and testing, we need to learn more about how social-emotional outcomes compare for students who enter kindergarten one year later versus those who start on time.
In addition, learning more about the trajectories of redshirted students beyond elementary and middle school would provide further insight into whether longer-term benefits of redshirting exist, and for which students.
Key takeaways: What families should know about redshirting
As you consider whether kindergarten redshirting is right for your child, we encourage you to keep the following key research takeaways in mind:
- Redshirting is relatively uncommon, with only about five percent of students redshirting per year
- On average, children who delay kindergarten for a year get an initial academic boost, but this early academic advantage fades by third grade
- Redshirting comes with real costs, including childcare expenses
- Redshirting may benefit some children, but not most
- The decision to redshirt should be based on a child’s readiness and a family’s specific needs
How to learn more
To learn more about our research on kindergarten redshirting, read our research brief and our research summary for families.
