Overview

The following are the Maryland State Department of Education age requirements for enrollment into kindergarten (Education Article, §7-101, Admission of Students, COMAR 13A.08.01.02, Age for School Attendance): Children admitted to the kindergarten program in the public school shall be at least five (5) years old on or before September 1 of the school year in which they apply for entrance.

Immaturity Waivers

Parents or guardians who feel that their children are not mature enough to begin school may request in writing a waiver of one year for this regulation.
Letters are addressed to: Office of Pupil Accounting and School Boundaries and sent to the at 14201 School Lane, Upper Marlboro, Maryland 20772.
Please include in your request the child’s name, date of birth, parent/guardian’s name, address, and phone number. A written response will be made to your request.

Registration

Prince George's County Public Schools (PGCPS) registration for the 2023-24 school year begins Tuesday, April 11, 2023. Parents/Guardians may register for kindergarten online or by making an appointment at their boundary school.

While kindergarten registration may be accepted anytime, it is hoped that families will make a special effort to register early.

Early Entrance

A parent/guardian may make a request for early entrance into kindergarten if the child turns five (5) years of age between September 2 and October 15, of the school year for which they are requesting early entrance.
Parents/guardians must apply for early entrance into kindergarten for the boundary school online. No applications for early entrance will be accepted after June 1, 2023; no exceptions.
Apply for Early Entrance
A Parent's Guide to Early Entrance to Kindergarten
Children being considered for Early Entrance into Kindergarten must demonstrate kindergarten readiness by showing mastery of Prekindergarten standards in reading and math and striving efforts towards Kindergarten standards as measured by assessments administered by Prince George’s County Public School District.

Kindergarten Readiness Assessment (KRA)

The State of Maryland the Kindergarten Readiness Assessment (KRA) to learn more about children’s early learning experiences that will provide information to parents and kindergarten teachers that can be used to help children learn and grow. The KRA will be used by kindergarten teachers to measure what children know and can do when entering Kindergarten in the early learning areas of social skills, language and literacy, cognitive development, and physical well-being and motor development.
(This assessment will NOT determine whether a child can be enrolled in Kindergarten.)

There are three ways for a child to show what he or she knows and is able to do:

Selecting the answer to a question (e.g., “Show me the block that is the largest of three.”)
Performing a requested task (e.g., retelling a short story)
Being observed by the teacher during the school day’s activities or collecting their work samples

The Kindergarten teachers will begin assessing kindergarten readiness on the first day of school. It will help them to tailor their instruction to the needs of each child. When the assessment is complete, teachers will have a report to share with families. The report will help families and teachers work as partners so that our children are successful in school.

For more information, please visit R4K: Maryland’s Early Childhood Comprehensive Assessment System