What is the age group for 6th grade in US?

Answer 1

On average, 11-12 , but it can vary depending on the child's birthday, the cutoff date for beginning school in whatever state they live in, when the school year starts, and whether or not the child was ever held back.

Generally, children start kindergarten at age 5, so they should be 11 when they begin 6th grade. In most states, they require kids to be 5 by September 1st to start kindergarten (meaning that in 6th grade, a child would have to be 11 by then). School usually starts in late August, in which case the very youngest students won't quite be 11 yet, but again, they would be by Sept. 1st. In some places school doesn't start until early September, so in that case, the youngest will have just turned 11 and the oldest will already be turning 12 right as school begins.

But, the cutoff dates can vary a bit. Even though it's Sept. 1st in most states, it can be as early as August and as late as December. If the cutoff is in August, this ensures that NO 4 year olds can enter kindergarten and that also means no 10 year olds in 6th grade. So all students will be at least 11 and the oldest will have already been 12 for a couple weeks or even a month when school starts. But if the cutoff is not until December, then children can potentially be 10 for nearly half of their 6th grade year.

But, all kids whose birthdays fall after the cutoff date but before the end of the year (usually late May or early June) will turn 12 sometime during their 6th grade year. And if they have a birthday in the summer after school has ended, then they will just be 11 for all of 6th grade and then turn 12 the following summer.

Finally, a kid could be as old as 13 in 6th grade. This could happen if they ever struggled and had to repeat a year of school. They would start the year at 12 and turn 13, rather than starting at 11 and turning 12. Or if their birthday isn't until the summer, then they'll already be 12 when they start 6th grade but won't actually turn 13 until after they've finished the year.

So, on average, 6th graders are 11-12, but in some cases they can be 10-11 or 12-13.