CBSE board toolLast checked 15 October 20265 official sources
Delhi school admission age calculator: Nursery, Lower KG, Upper KG and Class 1
We live in Delhi and want to know which entry class (Nursery, Lower KG, Upper KG or Class 1) our child can apply for in 2027-28 or 2028-29, given the exact date of birth.
Quick answer
Delhi counts the age for Nursery, KG and Class 1 on one day: 31 March of the year the session starts. The Directorate of Education's circular 976 of 24 October 2025 is changing the classes in phases. For 2027-28 the bands are Nursery 3+ up to 4 years, a new Lower KG at 4+ up to 5, a new Upper KG at 5+ up to 6 for new admissions only, and Class 1 at 5+ up to 6 for children promoted from KG. From 2028-29, Class 1 needs 6+ up to 7 years. The head of the school can relax the age by one month either way. A CBSE school in Delhi follows this table too, because CBSE leaves admission rules up to Class 8 to the state or UT. Enter the date of birth below to see the band your child fits, the birth dates that band covers and whether the one-month relaxation could matter.
CurrentApplies to 2027-28 and 2028-29 sessionsLast checked 15 October 2026
This page may be out of date. It was due for a re-check on 31 March 2027. Confirm every rule with the official source before acting on it.
From DoE Delhi circular 976. DoE hasn't published its 2027-28 entry-class admission notice yet. We check the DoE circular list and update the dates the same day it appears.
Enter the date and pick 2027-28 or 2028-29. Note the band and the birth dates it covers.[1]
Have ready
The session you are applying for
3
Check the school's entry class
Each school has its own entry class. Ask whether it admits to Nursery, Lower KG, Upper KG or Class 1 in that session, and whether it follows circular 976.[1]
Have ready
The school's name and type (DoE, MCD, NDMC, central)
If the calculator says your child is up to one month outside a band, ask the head of the school before the forms close.[1]
Have ready
The calculator's printout
5
Watch for DoE's admission notice
DoE publishes the schedule and form dates for each session. Last year Sarvodaya forms were given out from 2 to 16 March.[2]
Have ready
Address proof and a passport-size photo
This calculator runs in your browser and sends nothing anywhere. It applies Table 2 of DoE Delhi circular 976 (24 October 2025), checked 15 October 2026. It shows the age band your child fits; the school decides the admission. When DoE publishes its 2027-28 admission notice, the dates printed there come first.
Minimum age for Class 1, by session
From Table 2 of DoE circular 976 (24 October 2025). Age as on 31 March. Source[1]
The three DoE circulars behind these ages
From DoE Delhi circulars 556, 976 and 104. Source[1]
Age bands for 2027-28 (age on 31 March 2027)
Class (2027-28)
Age on 31 March 2027
Born between (both dates included)
Who joins
Nursery (Balvatika 1)
3+ years up to 4 years
1 April 2023 and 31 March 2024
New admissions
Lower KG (Balvatika 2), new class
4+ years up to 5 years
1 April 2022 and 31 March 2023
Promoted from Nursery 2026-27, plus new admissions
Upper KG (Balvatika 3), new class
5+ years up to 6 years
1 April 2021 and 31 March 2022
New admissions only
Class 1
5+ years up to 6 years
1 April 2021 and 31 March 2022
Promoted from KG 2026-27
From Table 2 and para 9(2) of DoE circular 976. The birth dates are worked out the same way DoE printed them for 2026-27 in circular 104; DoE hasn't printed the 2027-28 dates yet.[1]
Age bands for 2028-29 (age on 31 March 2028)
Class (2028-29)
Age on 31 March 2028
Born between (both dates included)
Who joins
Nursery (Balvatika 1)
3+ years up to 4 years
1 April 2024 and 31 March 2025
New admissions
Lower KG (Balvatika 2)
4+ years up to 5 years
1 April 2023 and 31 March 2024
Promoted from Nursery 2027-28, plus new admissions
Upper KG (Balvatika 3)
5+ years up to 6 years
1 April 2022 and 31 March 2023
Promoted from Lower KG 2027-28, plus new admissions
Class 1
6+ years up to 7 years
1 April 2021 and 31 March 2022
Promoted from Upper KG 2027-28, plus new admissions
From Table 2 and para 9(3) of DoE circular 976. Birth dates worked out the same way as circular 104.[1]
The birth dates DoE printed for 2026-27 (how we count)
Class (2026-27)
Age on 31 March 2026
Born between
Nursery (Balvatika 1)
3+ years to 4 years
1 April 2022 and 31 March 2023
KG
4+ years to 5 years
1 April 2021 and 31 March 2022
Class 1
5+ years to 6 years
1 April 2020 and 31 March 2021
From DoE circular 104 (Sarvodaya Vidyalaya entry classes, 2026-27), para 5. We use the same rule for the later sessions: a band of N+ up to N+1 years on 31 March covers births from 1 April to 31 March.[2]
What goes wrong
Going by the year of birth only
What happens: A child born in early April falls a full band younger than one born in late March of the same year.[2]
Fix: Use the exact date; the band runs 1 April to 31 March.
Applying for Class 1 at 6 in 2027-28 because a news report said so
What happens: That came from the June 2025 circular. Under circular 976, Class 1 stays at 5+ until 2028-29.[1]
Fix: Check which circular a report quotes: 976 of 24 October 2025 is the one in force.
Counting the relaxation as a right
What happens: The one-month relaxation is at the head of school's level. A school can still say no.[1]
Fix: Ask the school early and keep its answer in writing.
Variants: when the steps change
If this is you
What changes
Moving from another recognised school
The age criteria don't apply to joining the next class after passing one, with a valid SLC and mark sheet (para 6).[1]
A child with a disability
DoE allows extra age relaxation for specially abled children under a circular of 13 May 2022 (cited in circular 104). Ask the school how much.[2]
MCD, NDMC or Cantonment Board school
Circular 976 was sent to them for information and further action. Ask whether the school has adopted the same table.[1]
Why the exact date of birth matters
Delhi counts the age for Nursery, KG and Class 1 on one day: 31 March of the year the session starts. A child born on 31 March and a child born on 1 April can end up a full class apart. That's why the calculator asks for the exact date and not just the year.
Take 2027-28. A child born on 15 August 2023 is 3 years, 7 months and 16 days old on 31 March 2027, inside the Nursery band. A child born on 31 March 2024 turns 3 on the cut-off day, so they fit Nursery too; one born a day later, on 1 April 2024, is a day short. A child born on 10 April 2024 is 2 years, 11 months and 21 days old, 10 days short of 3, which is inside the one-month window a head of school may relax. A child born on 31 March 2023 turns 4 on the cut-off day, so they apply for Lower KG, not Nursery.[1]
What changed, and why news reports disagree
In June 2025 DoE's circular 556 said a child could join Class 1 only after completing 6 years, from 2026-27. In October 2025 circular 976 replaced that with a phase-in. Delhi is moving from two pre-primary classes (Nursery and KG) to three (Nursery, Lower KG and Upper KG). Class 1 stays at 5+ in 2026-27 and 2027-28, and the 6+ rule for Class 1 applies from 2028-29. If a page says Class 1 needs 6 years from 2026-27, it is quoting the June circular.
The two new classes start in 2027-28. Children in Nursery in 2026-27 move up to Lower KG. Upper KG opens that year for new admissions only. Children in KG in 2026-27 move straight to Class 1, under the old structure. From 2028-29 every child goes Nursery, Lower KG, Upper KG, then Class 1 at 6+.[1]
Why a CBSE school in Delhi follows these ages
CBSE doesn't set its own admission ages for the early classes. Its Examination Bye-laws say admissions up to Class 8 follow the rules of the state or UT where the school is (rule 7.1), and that a student must meet the minimum and maximum ages that government sets (rule 6.1(iii)). So a CBSE school in Delhi uses DoE's table, and a CBSE school in another state uses that state's.[4]
If your child is already in school
Circular 976 (para 6) says a regular student who passed the class before at a recognised school, with a valid School Leaving Certificate and mark sheet, doesn't have to meet the age criteria to join the next class. If you are changing schools within Delhi, the class your child passed counts, not the bands above.
Para 4 adds that the new ages did not apply to children already in Nursery to Class 1 in 2025-26.[1]
What this page doesn't cover
Dates and seats for 2027-28: DoE's circular list had no 2027-28 entry-class notice when we checked on 15 October 2026. For reference, Sarvodaya Vidyalaya forms for 2026-27 were given out from 2 to 16 March 2026 (circular 104). We'll add the 2027-28 dates when DoE posts them.
EWS/DG and CWSN seats in private schools have their own draw and documents. Other states set their own cut-off dates and ages, and we add a state only after reading its own order.[5]
Tips and tricks
Print the calculator's result and take it to the school. It shows the band and the circular in one place.
If your child fits Upper KG in 2027-28 and was in KG in 2026-27, ask the current school about promotion to Class 1 before you apply elsewhere.
Keep the birth certificate, address proof and a passport-size photo ready before DoE's notice comes out.
Use DoE's own words when you talk to a school: "3+ years up to 4 years as on 31st March", not "between 3 and 4".
Free printable
Print the working copy
Delhi entry-class admission: our sheet: one A4 page, black and white, with the decision, every step with a date box, and blanks to fill in.
Delhi entry-class admission: our sheet
Parents applying for Nursery, Lower KG, Upper KG or Class 1 in Delhi for 2027-28 or 2028-29
Decide
Which class should you apply for?
Do it now: Apply for the class your child fits
Check first: Apply, and ask about the relaxation
Check first: Ask the school about Class 1 in 2027-28
Not for you: Wait for the next session
Checklist
Done
Step
Date
Birth certificate
Address proof
Passport-size photo
Calculator printout
DoE's admission notice for the session, once out
SLC and mark sheet, if moving from another school
Child's name
Date of birth (as on the certificate)
Session
Age on 31 March
Class band the child fits
School and its entry class
School's answer on relaxation, with date
Source: DoE Delhi circular 976 (24.10.2025). Check the official circular before you act. correctpath.in/cbse/admission-age-delhi/
Every step above cites a numbered source; the full list is at the end of the page. If the board issues a newer circular, it overrides this page.
Questions people ask
What is the age for nursery admission in Delhi for 2027-28?
3+ years up to 4 years on 31 March 2027, which works out to a birth date between 1 April 2023 and 31 March 2024 (circular 976, Table 2).[1]
Is the Class 1 age in Delhi 6 years from 2027-28?
No. Under circular 976, Class 1 stays at 5+ up to 6 years in 2027-28, for children promoted from KG. The 6+ up to 7 rule for Class 1 starts in 2028-29.[1]
My child misses the cut-off by a few days. Can they still get admission?
If the gap is one month or less, the head of the school may relax the minimum or maximum age (circular 976 para 5). The school decides, so ask before you apply.[1]
Do CBSE schools in Delhi have a different age rule?
No. CBSE's bye-laws leave admission rules up to Class 8, including age limits, to the state or UT government, so CBSE schools in Delhi follow DoE's table.[4]
What are Lower KG and Upper KG?
They are the two classes that replace KG from 2027-28 (Balvatika 2 and Balvatika 3 in the circular). With Nursery, that makes three years of pre-school before Class 1.[1]
Does the new age rule apply to children already in school?
Not to moving up. A regular student who passed the class before at a recognised school, with a valid School Leaving Certificate and mark sheet, is exempt from the age criteria for the next class (circular 976 para 6).[1]