How does school entrance age affect children academically in fourth grade?

Abstract

A growing number of children are entering kindergarten at or around the age of six rather than the traditional age of five, raising concern about the effect that the age of school entry has on children's academic achievement. A study involving both male and female fourth grade students between the ages of nine and ten years old was conducted in which final math and English language arts grades and local and state level standardized test scores were collected and examined for trends among age-at-entry groups. Older children slightly outperformed younger children in many areas, specifically among females. These findings suggest that later school entry is not a significant concern among this population.