Graduation Year Calculator
Find what year a child starts school and graduates, and their current grade, from their birth date.
About the Graduation Year Calculator
School cohorts are set by an age cut-off. In most US states a child starts kindergarten if they turn 5 by about 1 September and graduates high school 13 years later. In England and Wales, children born 1 September to 31 August form one year group, start Reception the September after turning 4, and finish Year 13 (A-levels) in the summer they're 18. Some US states use other cut-offs (for example 1 August or 1 December); use Custom for those or for other countries.
The formula
Start year = birth year + starting age (+1 if born after the cut-off); graduation = start + years of school
Worked example
Example: Graduates / finishes school in = 2034
- Inputs: Child's date of birth: 20 November 2015; School system: US (K–12, age 5 by 1 Sept); Today: 1 January 2026.
- Formula: Start year = birth year + starting age (+1 if born after the cut-off); graduation = start + years of school
- Result: Graduates / finishes school in = 2034
Questions people ask
What class is someone born in 2008?
In the US, usually Class of 2026 if born before 1 September 2008.
What about summer-born children in England?
They can request a delayed start in Reception, which shifts their cohort.