J1000.02 - Early Admission Enrollment Procedures

Age Requirements

Eugene School District 4J will abide by the state entrance requirements for incoming Kindergarten and First Grade students. Students entering Kindergarten must be five years old on or before September 1; students entering First Grade must be six years old on or before September 1.

Early Admission Requirements

Children that demonstrate exceptional academic skills, intellectual abilities, and developmental, social and emotional readiness may be considered for early admission into Kindergarten or First Grade if a child’s birthday falls after September 1 and on or before September 30. A student must complete the early admission process and meet the District’s criteria. The early admission process includes gathering developmental information from families through rating scales and an interview, and direct assessment of cognitive abilities, language skills, early learning concepts, and early academic skills.

The District will assist families with completing the early admission process by scheduling evaluations twice each year. The first session will accommodate families who plan to enter the school choice lottery; the second session will accommodate families who plan to enroll children into their neighborhood school.

There will be a fee for evaluations; the fee will be adjusted if a family qualifies for free/reduced lunch.

Criteria for Early Admission into Kindergarten

Children who turn five after September 1 and on or before September 30, will be considered for early admission into Kindergarten if they complete the early admission process and meet the District’s criteria.

To be a candidate for early admission into kindergarten a child must meet all of the conditions below:

1. Meet the criteria for intellectually gifted (score at or above the 97th % percentile on a nationally standardized test of mental ability)
2. Demonstrate an exceptional understanding of language/receptive vocabulary (at or above the 90th percentile)
3. Meet the criteria for academically talented (at or above the 97th % percentile in reading and/or mathematics) and demonstrate an exceptional understanding of early learning and academic concepts
4. Demonstrate the developmental, social and emotional readiness that will assist the child to be successful in a Kindergarten learning environment (advanced skills based on rating scales/observations).

Criteria for Early Admission into First Grade

Children who turn six after September 1 and on or before September 30, will be considered for early admission into First Grade if they complete the early admission process and meet the district’s criteria.

To be a candidate for early admission into First Grade a child must meet all of the conditions below:

1. Meet the criteria for intellectually gifted (score at or above the 97th % percentile on a nationally standardized test of mental ability)
2. Demonstrate an exceptional understanding of language/receptive vocabulary (at or above the 90th percentile)
3. Meet the criteria for academically talented (at or above the 97th % percentile in the areas of reading and/or mathematics) and demonstrate an exceptional understanding of early learning and academic concepts
4. Demonstrate the developmental, social and emotional readiness that will assist the child to be successful in a First grade learning environment (advanced skills based on rating scales/observations).