State Board upholds Auburn School District cutoff in kindergarten-age appeal

The New Hampshire State Board of Education on Tuesday upheld the Auburn School District's decision to deny a kindergarten placement for a child whose fifth birthday falls after the district's Sept. 30 cutoff.

The child's mother, Christina Pratt, told the board she registered her son, Noah, in January 2024, completed the district's kindergarten assessment and attended the district's kindergarten orientation and bus ride. Pratt said the family was told later that the child's October birthday made him ineligible under the district's policy.

"He did the kindergarten assessment. He did the kindergarten day where they got to, like, ride the school bus, see who's gonna be in classes with them," Pratt said. "We attended that, had Noah with us, made the case, and it was declined because they did not want to make the exception."

Why it matters

The hearing asked whether the district's bright-line cutoff is reasonable and consistently applied. Auburn representatives told the board the policy is longstanding and has not been waived during the current chair's tenure. The district urged the…