# How old were you/did you turn in 3rd grade?

**URL:** <https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-old-were-you-did-you-turn-in-3rd-grade/317711>\
**Category:** In My Humble Opinion\
**Created:** [August 19, 2005, 5:31am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-old-were-you-did-you-turn-in-3rd-grade/317711 "2005-08-19T05:31:27Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 2\
**Page:** 3

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**Author:** ![kniz](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/c37758/32.png) [@kniz](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kniz)\
**Post date:** [August 21, 2005, 5:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-old-were-you-did-you-turn-in-3rd-grade/317711/41 "2005-08-21T17:36:04Z")

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My birthday is in Nov. and in Ohio at the time Nov. 1 was the cut-off. In the third grade (ages 8 & 9) we moved to Georgia which had a January 1 cut-off. For those reasons I was always the oldest in my class (except for those who failed a grade). I always thought it was an advantage.

When I got married our first son was born in August and the cut-off was September 1. That meant he’d be the youngest in his class. There was a meeting for parents who wanted to appeal the year their children began school. My wife couldn’t go, so I went. There were three women there and of course they went first. All of them said “My little \_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_ is so smart and is maturing fast. I want him/her to start at age 4.” Because of sentiments expressed to those requests, which were all granted, I threw up my hands and said my boy would start that year. However, when we moved to Mississippi, we held both boys back a year. That meant the oldest repeated the 3 grade (he was 7, 8 and 9 in the third grade) and the youngest (also born in August) repeated kindergarten (which we remind him of at every opportunity). Both now say it was a very good thing.

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**Author:** ![Laughing\_Lagomorph](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/6bbea6/32.png) [@Laughing\_Lagomorph](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Laughing_Lagomorph)\
**Post date:** [August 21, 2005, 5:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-old-were-you-did-you-turn-in-3rd-grade/317711/42 "2005-08-21T17:49:47Z")

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I was seven at the start of third grade and turned eight in January of that year. But I was a special case, being almost a full year younger than everyone else in my grade for my entire school career.

(Like **Askance** I do not recommend this experience to anyone especially for a kid who is already on the small size for his age).

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