Delhi mandates kids to be 6 years old for Class 1
Starting with the 2026-27 school year, all Delhi schools—government and private—will require kids to be at least six years old by March 31 to join Class 1.
This move lines up with India's National Education Policy (NEP) 2020 and aims to make school starting ages consistent across the city.
New early-years structure
Delhi is rolling out a new early-years structure in phases: Nursery (ages 3-4), Lower KG (ages 4-5) from 2027-28, and Upper KG (ages 5-6) from 2027-28.
From the new rules, only children between six and seven can enter Class 1.
What about kids who are already in school?
For admissions, principals can allow kids who are up to one month younger than the age cut-off.
If your child is already in school before these changes kick in, they'll follow the old age rule—meaning five-year-olds can still get into Class 1 for now.
Schools have been told to keep parents updated about these changes so everyone's on the same page.