Following the 2021-22 kindergarten cohort through third grade tested whether redshirted students showed academic advantages¶

Claim · All claims
Evidence · 1 study · associational r? · q2
Currency · newest study 2026 · not yet checked against its sources · not reviewed by a person

Subclaims¶

q2 i? The brief followed the 2021-22 kindergarten cohort through third grade to examine whether redshirted students experienced academic advantages. → Megan Kuhfeld 2026

Evidence¶

Megan Kuhfeld 2026¶

Megan Kuhfeld, Sofia Postell. (2026). Should kindergartners be redshirted? Costs likely outweigh academic benefits. NWEA Research brief. https://www.nwea.org/research/publication/should-kindergartners-be-redshirted-costs-likely-outweigh-academic-benefits/

q2 · i? · associational · r?

A longitudinal follow-up of the 2021-22 kindergarten cohort through third grade examined "whether there were academic advantages for redshirted students"; the brief's overall conclusion is that costs likely outweigh benefits, and no effect size is printed in the available text.

"It also follows a kindergarten cohort (2021-22) through the third grade, examining whether there were academic advantages for redshirted students."

Discussion¶

Related Claims¶

• Redshirted students' early-grade academic advantage over on-time peers fades as students move through school — related
• Redshirted children may gain a physical maturity advantage over peers, which some parents cite for sports — related
• Redshirting kindergartners likely carries costs that outweigh its academic benefits — related
• The early academic advantage of entering school older may fade in later grades, per a multi-state regression discontinuity analysis through second grade — related
• Redshirting trends among U.S. kindergartners were examined between fall 2017 and 2025 using data on over three million students — related