Kindergarten

Children must turn five years old by December 31st of the year of enrollment to be eligible for consideration for early entrance to kindergarten.

The child must score in the very superior range of administered assessments.

The child must demonstrate above-average social-emotional development as determined by interview, parent questionnaire, observation, and/or professional judgment.

Parent/guardian Steps: 

• Provide the child’s birth certificate by email to earlylearners@u-46.org
• Complete Online Registration for the School Year 2026-2027 and select kindergarten as the grade for your child. Write down the application number. You'll need this number to complete the U-46 Early Entrance Interest Form.
• Complete and submit the U-46 Early Entrance Interest Form.

First Grade

To be eligible for consideration for early entrance to first grade, children must turn six years old by December 31st of the year of enrollment.

The parent provides proof that the child attended a non-public preschool, continued his or her education at that school through kindergarten, and was taught in Kindergarten by a certified teacher - Illinois State Board of Education (ISBE).

The child must score in the very superior range of administered assessments.

The child must demonstrate above-average social-emotional development as determined by interview, parent questionnaire, observation, and/or professional judgment.

Parent/guardian provides the following information by email to earlylearners@u-46.org: 

• Child’s birth certificate
• School certification letter on school letterhead for preschool through kindergarten, indicating the kindergarten teacher's full name as it appears on the Educator Licensure in ISBE.

Then:

• Complete Online Registration for the School Year 2026-2027 and select first grade for your child. Write down the application number. You'll need this number to complete the U-46 Early Entrance Interest Form.
• Complete and submit the U-46 Early Entrance Interest Form.