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As red shirting prevails it will become much more common. While my son will graduate at 17, having entered kindy at 5, some of his classmates were held back from kindy (by mom and dad, just normal kids) UNTIL 7, and will be 20 when they graduate. I cannot imagine how it will all play out. That puts college graduation off until 24 if they make it in 4 years, I just can't imagine.
These kids, and there are a few of them, will be getting their learner's driving permit IN EIGHTH GRADE!
These kids, and there are a few of them, will be getting their learner's driving permit IN EIGHTH GRADE!
I remember I was the only freshman in drivers ED, although I was still enough of a dork for this not to make me popular.
As for the main question; I was held back a year and graduated when I was 18 (one month away from 19), so I find it odd that there are many of these, but they logically can exist. 20 year olds are what baffle me, like earlier stated, it would have almost have to be pre planed.
No...they won't. My son is a November birthday. My district in NJ has an October 1st cut-off. The day he started Kindergarten (on time) he was 5 and turned 6 a couple of months later. He will turn 18 in November of his senior year of high school and graduate as an 18 year old.
By comparison my daughter has a summer birthday and she was 5 for all of Kindergarten, turning 6 just after she finished. She will be 17 her entire senior year and will turn 18 just after graduating.
The most common ways a kid could be 19 as a senior in high school without having special needs in the US are as follows:
1. They started Kindergarten late (as a 6 year old instead of a 5 year old).
2. They were "red-shirted" for athletics and most likely would have repeated 8th grade.
3. They were left back for academic or maturity reasons at some point.
I mean starting late, not being held back, is there anything wrong with that?
It probably depends on how common it is in your area and what the cut off is in your state. I find the people who late start April kids a little odd, because our cut off is Sept 1. But it happened because holding back was very common. Most parents of the summer birthdays (boys) were holding their kids to the next year, so some spring birthdays started late too so they wouldn't be the youngest. It was a bit of a mess.
Last edited by Pooks1976; 10-12-2016 at 01:46 PM..
My 26 year old graduated at age 20. It's known as being a "Super-Senior" (or in his case a "super-duper-senior?)
His own doing; he is really smart but was a total goof-off. I've never seen a kid that could "schmooze" the adults like he did (myself included). Some of the teachers nicknamed him "The Shaker" because the first thing he would do when walking into class is greet the teacher with a handshake.
Darn kid got "drafted" into Student Council one year too, got himself put into AP classes without having AP grades & managed to stay just one foot ahead of expulsion. I swear the Assistant Principal aged 10 years during the 6 years she had him. My 15 year old twins attend that same HS now & get a kick out of seeing his picture up on a teachers wall of former, memorable students.
In Colorado, students have a right to free public education until the age of 21.
I wish he would have gone to college; he could have (& still can) started at a CC to establish a GPA & continued at a University. He's married now with 2 kids; works in the Energy Industry with a very good income.
No...they won't. My son is a November birthday. My district in NJ has an October 1st cut-off. The day he started Kindergarten (on time) he was 5 and turned 6 a couple of months later. He will turn 18 in November of his senior year of high school and graduate as an 18 year old.
By comparison my daughter has a summer birthday and she was 5 for all of Kindergarten, turning 6 just after she finished. She will be 17 her entire senior year and will turn 18 just after graduating.
The most common ways a kid could be 19 as a senior in high school without having special needs in the US are as follows:
1. They started Kindergarten late (as a 6 year old instead of a 5 year old).
2. They were "red-shirted" for athletics and most likely would have repeated 8th grade.
3. They were left back for academic or maturity reasons at some point.
Common terminology where I am is that "held back" means you did not pass a grade, so you were "held back" while everyone else moved to the next grade level.
I believe when Mathguy said "hold him back" he's saying that he opted to wait a year before sending his son to school.
To the OP, when I was graduating (at 18) I was definitely around the middle of the age range. There was a number of people older than me and I personally know several friends who did or would have graduated at 19 had they not dropped out.
It's not weird unless you make it weird. Just don't bring it up. If someone asks:
"Oh yeah, I started late" - then move on. Just don't worry about it.
Another valid reason: internationally adopted kids often are placed a year behind their typical grade level due to language and cultural differences, and because some other countries don't start kids in first grade until they turn seven, ideally by the beginning of the school year, which means a first grader may turn eight within a month of so after entering first grade.
However, when children with this background reach high school, it's not uncommon for them to also take a few college classes simultaneously, if they are available. This situation occurred within my own extended family. The "first grader", a very bright child with a photographic memory, had started a year late in their home country, and turned NINE within three months of starting school in that country, just before they were adopted. Throw in a language difference, and the delay makes sense (although this child and their sibling were homeschooled and made up time rapidly, gaining a year about every eight or nine months. They're now in college and doing well).
Last edited by CraigCreek; 10-12-2016 at 03:45 PM..
When I went to HS we had some Seniors that were 19 but I cannot tell you why. We had one that was 21 and a City Policeman. The deal with his hiring was he would return to complete HS as they would not accept a GED.
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