Delhi Nursery Admission 2026–27: Updated Rules, Age Criteria and Complete Schedule

The Directorate of Education (DoE), Delhi, has released the detailed guidelines, age norms and schedule for Nursery, KG and Class 1 admissions for the 2026–27 academic session. Registrations will begin on December 4, 2025, and the process includes several procedural continuations from previous years along with significant changes aimed at improving transparency and standardisation.

One of the most notable updates is the adoption of clearly defined age brackets, replacing the earlier “under 4, under 5 and under 6” format that often led to confusion.
For the upcoming session (as of March 31, 2026):

• Nursery: 3–4 years

• KG: 4–5 years

• Class 1: 5–6 years

Schools may grant an age relaxation of up to one month if required.

Admission Timeline for 2026–27

The DoE has formalised the admission calendar:

• Registrations: December 4 to December 27

• First admission list: January 23

• Query window: January 24 to February 3

• Second list: February 9

• Grievance redressal: February 10 to 16

• Vacant-seat list: March 5

• Admission cycle ends: March 19

Mandatory Video Recording and Transparency Rules

To strengthen accountability, video recording of all draw-of-lots procedures is compulsory.
Schools are barred from using any disallowed or previously struck-down criteria.

Compliance with the Rights of Persons with Disabilities Act continues to be mandatory.

The registration fee remains Rs 25, and schools may not charge capitation fees or require parents to purchase a prospectus.

Procedures That Remain Unchanged

The commonly used parameters—such as distance, sibling, alumni, and single-parent categories—remain valid.

Last year’s distance-based points ranged from 50 points for 0–6 km to 30 points for 8–15 km, and schools may design their own point systems within DoE norms.

Parents had previously raised concerns about lack of transparency and misuse of management quotas, prompting stronger monitoring this year.

Key Changes Introduced

Along with revised age norms, the DoE has tightened scrutiny of admission criteria, documentation and compliance. Schools must publish all criteria, point allocations and applicant information on their websites to ensure clarity and uniformity.

The DoE has emphasised that all private schools must strictly follow the notified schedule and processes to maintain fairness across Delhi’s early-years admissions framework.