Age Requirements & Grade Placement
GEMS Dubai American Academy follows the KHDA age requirement for students entering KG1 - Grade 1*. A student must be 4 years of age by August 31st of the academic year to be eligible for our KG1 program. All other students must have turned the age listed next to the grade level for the Academic Year and have a corresponding Transfer Certificate. To assist those coming from a non-American curriculum, please refer to the table below as a guideline for which grade to apply to. Further clarification will be done by the Admission team, and educational governing body.
*Applicable for all new KG – Grade 1 students enrolling from September 2023.
Comparison of Ages & Names Across Different Curriculums
Dubai American Academy |
North America |
England |
Australia/ NZ |
South Africa |
Singapore |
France |
|
Entry Age by August 31st |
Grade |
Grade |
Year |
Year |
Year |
Year |
Class |
3 years old |
__ |
-- |
FS1 (Nursery) |
-- |
-- |
Pre-School |
PS |
4 years old |
KG1* |
PreK |
FS2 (Reception) |
KG |
-- |
Pre-School |
MS |
5 years old |
KG2* |
KG |
1 |
Prep |
Reception |
Pre-School |
GS |
6 years old |
1* |
1 |
2 |
1 |
1 |
P1 |
CP |
7 years old |
2 |
3 |
2 |
2 |
P2 |
CE1 |
|
8 years old |
3 |
4 |
3 |
3 |
P3 |
CE2 |
|
9 years old |
4 |
5 |
4 |
4 |
P4 |
CM1 |
|
10 years old |
5 |
6 |
5 |
5 |
P5 |
CM2 |
|
11 years old |
6 |
7 |
6 |
6 |
P6 |
Sixieme |
|
12 years old |
7 |
8 |
7 |
7 |
S1 |
Cinquieme |
|
13 years old |
8 |
9 |
8 |
8 |
S2 |
Quatrieme |
|
14 years old |
9 |
10 |
9 |
9 |
S3 |
Triosieme |
|
15 years old |
10 |
11 |
10 |
10 |
S4 |
Seconde |
|
16 years old |
11 |
12 |
11 |
11 |
Premiere |
||
17 years old |
12 |
13 |
12 |
12 |
Terminale |