Delhi Govt Fixes Uniform Age of Admission for Class 1 from 2026-27

New Delhi:The Delhi government has announced a uniform age of admission for Class 1 across all government, government-aided, and recognised private schools under the Directorate of Education (DoE). As per a recent notification, the revised age criteria of 6+ years will take effect from the academic session 2026–27, aligning the city’s school system with the National Education Policy (NEP) 2020.

The notification also stated that the DoE will revise age criteria for the foundational stage, covering Nursery to Class 1. The move comes just weeks ahead of the start of nursery admissions in Delhi.

According to the new framework, the age criteria for admission will be as follows:

• Nursery (Balvatika 1 / Pre-School 1): 3+ to 4 years

• Lower KG (Balvatika 2 / Pre-School 2): 4+ to 5 years

• Upper KG (Balvatika 3 / Pre-School 3): 5+ to 6 years

• Class 1: 6+ to 7 years

The DoE clarified that age relaxation up to one month (both for minimum and maximum age limits) may be granted at the discretion of the Head of School from Nursery to Class 1.

The revised policy will not apply to the ongoing 2025–26 session, ensuring a smooth transition for students already enrolled under the existing system, where the minimum admission ages are 3+, 4+, and 5+ for Nursery, KG, and Class 1 respectively.

Detailed guidelines on nursery admissions for 2026–27 are expected to be released soon. Last year, the admission schedule was issued in November.

As per the DoE, the new criteria ensure that children entering Nursery at 3+ years in 2026–27 will naturally progress to Class 1 at 6+ years, bringing Delhi’s school admission norms in sync with the NEP’s recommended structure.