Kindergarten Admissions

Saint George’s kindergarten is a vibrant, fast-paced academic program full of movement and exploration. Our students transition between several learning spaces each day and work with their homeroom teacher as well as seven additional specialist teachers throughout the week. Because of this, kindergarteners at SGS need a level of flexibility, independence, and school-readiness that is often beyond what is typical in many kindergarten settings. 

With this in mind, we are thoughtful and intentional when making kindergarten enrollment decisions. Our general policy is that students must turn five years old no later than August 31 to be eligible for enrollment. Based on many years of experience, however, we have found that children who turn five by May 1 of their enrollment year tend to be more developmentally ready for the structure, pace, and academic expectations of our program than those with late-spring or summer birthdays. 

Of course, every child is unique, and there are wonderful exceptions on both sides of that date. Still, it is common for us to defer enrollment to the following year for children who have late spring and summer birthdays to ensure they enter kindergarten confident, prepared, and ready to thrive. 

Over the long term, we consistently see that students who begin kindergarten a bit older experience continued benefits as they progress through all grades at SGS. They often demonstrate stronger academic stamina, more developed social-emotional skills, and increased confidence as expectations grow each year. Our goal is always to set students up for long-term success – not just on their first day of kindergarten, but all the way through to graduation.