The Maharashtra government has announced a phased implementation of minimum age requirements for admission to pre-primary classes and Class 1, with the new rules set to begin in the 2027-28 academic session. Under the revised criteria, children will have to be at least six years old to enter Class 1 from 2030-31, according to a government resolution (GR) issued by the School Education Department.The revised framework will introduce age requirements for Nursery, Junior KG and Senior KG over three academic sessions before extending the six-year minimum age limit to Class 1. The move aims to bring uniformity to school admissions across different education boards and align the state’s admission policy with the National Education Policy (NEP) 2020.According to a PTI report citing the government resolution, the prescribed minimum age must be completed by June 30 of the relevant academic year.
Maharashtra school admission age criteria: Year-wise schedule
The state government will introduce the revised age requirements in phases, beginning with Nursery admissions in 2027-28. The minimum age will increase progressively across the pre-primary levels before the Class 1 requirement takes effect.
| Academic session | Class | Minimum age required |
| 2027-28 | Nursery/Balvatika-1 | 3 years |
| 2028-29 | Junior KG/Balvatika-2 | 4 years |
| 2029-30 | Senior KG/Balvatika-3 | 5 years |
| 2030-31 | Class 1 | 6 years |
The age cut-off for each admission cycle will be June 30 of the respective year, as specified in the government resolution. Parents will therefore need to check their children’s ages against the prescribed date while planning admissions under the revised framework.
Why Maharashtra is introducing a uniform age limit
The School Education Department cited differences in admission practices across schools affiliated with the Maharashtra state board, CBSE, ICSE and the International Baccalaureate (IB) as a reason for introducing uniform age criteria.According to the GR, there was no common minimum age requirement for admission to pre-primary classes, while schools were accepting different age cut-offs for Class 1. The state government has introduced the revised framework to address these inconsistencies.“The state has fixed the age criteria in accordance with the provisions of the National Education Policy (NEP) 2020 and the Centre’s communication that children should be more than six years old for admission to Class 1,” the resolution stated, according to PTI.The phased implementation is intended to establish a consistent age structure across the pre-primary stages and the transition to primary schooling.
Existing students exempt from revised admission rules
The revised age criteria will not apply retrospectively to students already enrolled in Nursery through Class 1 during the 2026-27 academic session, the government resolution said.Students who have completed the previous class at a recognised school will also be exempt from the revised requirements when progressing to the next standard. This provision is intended to prevent students already following the existing admission framework from facing disruption as they advance through school.Parents of children currently enrolled in pre-primary classes or Class 1 should therefore distinguish between the rules applicable to existing students and those governing fresh admissions under the new schedule.
Schools may grant 15-day relaxation in age limits
The government resolution also authorises school heads to grant a relaxation of 15 days in the minimum and maximum age limits for admissions from Nursery to Class 1.The provision allows limited flexibility in applying the prescribed age criteria. However, parents should check the admission instructions issued by the education authorities and the respective schools before relying on the relaxation.The Directorate of Primary Education in Pune will issue detailed instructions and guidelines for implementing admissions under the revised age framework, according to the GR.Further directions from the directorate are expected to clarify the admission process and how schools should apply the new criteria across the different stages of pre-primary and primary education.(With inputs from PTI)