Maharashtra to mandate six-year minimum age for Class 1 admissions by 2030

The Maharashtra School Education Department has announced a phased implementation of new age eligibility rules for school admissions. Starting from the 2030-31 academic session, the minimum age for admission to Class 1 will be set at six years. To reach this goal, the state will introduce revised criteria for pre-primary levels beginning in the 2027-28 academic year.

Under the new schedule, children must be at least three years old for Nursery or Balvatika-1 in 2027-28, four years old for Junior KG or Balvatika-2 in 2028-29, and five years old for Senior KG or Balvatika-3 in 2029-30. The age requirement must be met by June 30 of the respective year.

The government stated that these changes aim to standardize admission practices across various school boards, including the Maharashtra State Board, CBSE, ICSE, and International Baccalaureate (IB), which previously followed different age cut-offs. The new norms align with the National Education Policy (NEP) 2020.

Existing students enrolled in Nursery through Class 1 during the 2026-27 academic year, as well as students progressing to higher classes in recognized schools, will be exempt from these new requirements. Additionally, school heads are permitted to grant a 15-day relaxation regarding the minimum and maximum age limits for admissions from Nursery to Class 1.