Olentangy to Adjust Kindergarten Eligibility; Registration Opens Jan. 12
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Summary
Superintendent reported that House Bill 114 standardizes kindergarten eligibility across Ohio; for the 2026–27 school year students must be 5 by Aug. 20. Kindergarten registration opens Jan. 12 and the district estimates roughly 46 children could be affected based on last year’s enrollment window.
At the Jan. 8 Olentangy Local School District meeting, Superintendent Meyer told the board that Kindergarten registration opens on Jan. 12 and that a new state law will standardize eligibility for entry.
Meyer said, "House Bill 114, which standardizes the age eligibility requirement for kindergarten enrollment for all school districts across Ohio," requires that "all kindergarten students must be 5 years of age on or before the first official day of school in the district that they attend." He noted the district’s first day for 2026–27 is scheduled for Aug. 20, meaning students must be 5 by that date to enroll in kindergarten that year.
Board members pressed staff for an estimate of how many children would be affected by the change. The superintendent said the number from last year "would have been 46" students who fell in the window between the start of school and Sept. 30 under the previous practice, and that the district expects a similar ballpark figure this cycle.
Meyer told the board that the district will direct families with questions to the New Student Welcome Center, provide email and phone contacts, and that a ParentSquare communication has already been sent. The district also listed upcoming dates for families, including a preschool peer-model information night on Jan. 14 and the next board meeting on Jan. 22.
The announcement is procedural: the board did not vote to change enrollment policy at the meeting but was briefed on the state law’s effect and on outreach the district will provide to families ahead of registration.