The Incidence of Delayed School Entry: A Twelve-Year Review

Delaying school entry for a year beyond a child's chronological eligibility for kindergarten is a controversial practice. However, it is unclear from the available literature exactly how common this practice is. The purpose of this study was to examine the incidence of delayed kindergarten entry in a suburban school district over a 12-year period. In this district, school personnel did not make formal recommendations to parents to delay kindergarten entry for their children. A review of the incidence data indicated that, in general, there had been a significant increase in the number of children who had delayed school entry. Furthermore, significantly more males than females had delayed kindergarten entry, and the majority of children who delayed school entry had autumn birthdates, making them the youngest group of children in this study. Implications for school practices are discussed.