Whole Grade Acceleration
Students may be referred for whole grade acceleration by their parent or guardian, teacher, classmate, or by self-recommendation. The referral and application can be found in the files below.
Applications for whole grade acceleration may be submitted at any time.
Early Entrance to Kindergarten or First Grade
Early entrance to kindergarten or first grade is a specific type of whole grade acceleration.
In Butler County, and pursuant to Board policy JEB, a child must be age five (5) by August 1st to be eligible for regular entrance into kindergarten or age six (6) by August 1st to be eligible for regular entrance into first grade. The Fairfield City School District recognizes that there are rare instances when a child is ready for kindergarten or first grade earlier than the traditional age. Typically, 5-10% of applicants are recommended for early entrance after completing the evaluation process.
The district's Early Entrance Evaluation Team will investigate to see if a child is ready to accelerate a year ahead of his/her peers. The Early Entrance Evaluation Team ideally consists of school psychologists, a speech pathologist, a kindergarten teacher, and the instructional specialist of gifted services.
If you are considering having your child evaluated for early entrance to kindergarten or first grade, please read the Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ) document before completing the Early Entrance to Kindergarten or First Grade Application. The FAQ document outlines the evaluation process and offers more information to aid you in deciding if early entrance may be right for your child.
Apply for Early Entrance
Please ensure your email address is entered correctly on your application!
You will be emailed a confirmation of your child's appointment date and time for evaluation within 2 business days. Please check your spam/junk folder if you have not received the email after 2 business days. Evaluation dates are limited due to the staff members needed to participate in the evaluation process.
Important dates for the 2025-2026 evaluation cycle:
- February 6, 2026 – Application window opens
- May 27-28, 2026 – Evaluations, by appointment only
- July 31, 2026 – Application window closes
- August 4-5, 2026 – Evaluations, by appointment only
- August 14 and 17, 2026 – First day of school
Please contact Rob Beidelman if you are a new resident to Fairfield City School District and would like to apply for early entrance to kindergarten or first grade outside of the above window.
