Haryana School Admission 2026-27: From the 2026-27 academic year, Haryana will strictly enforce the six-year age requirement for admission to Class 1, eliminating the six-month age relaxation previously granted for admissions in the upcoming academic session. This change will affect many parents in Gurugram and other cities, as it aligns with the directives of the Punjab and Haryana High Court and the National Education Policy (NEP) 2020.
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Court Intervention Leads to Changes in Admission Rules:
The state government has amended the Haryana Right to Education Rules, 2011, which previously allowed children aged five to six years to be admitted to Class 1. This provision led to recurring confusion and continuous legal disputes every admission season. In the Divisha Yadav vs. State of Haryana case, the High Court criticized the state government for continuing with the old rules despite acknowledging the National Education Policy (NEP) guidelines and directed it to align the state rules with the central policy.
Officials clarified that children who are younger than the age cut-off will be placed in Balvatika or pre-primary classes and will be moved to Class 1 upon meeting the eligibility criteria, allowing them to study with children of the same age group.
Private Schools Detail Admission Patterns:
Speaking about seat availability, Aditi Mishra, Principal of DPS Gurgaon (Sector 45), said the school has approximately 150 pre-nursery seats across six sections, with multiple sections in nursery and kindergarten, each having 27-28 students. "Pre-nursery and nursery seats are usually fully occupied, with only a few seats reserved for transfer cases," Mishra told the media, adding that vacancies in Class 1 typically arise due to families relocating. She said that a draw is conducted in the presence of parents to ensure transparency.
At Manav Rachna International School, Sector 51, admissions for the upcoming session began in July. The school informed parents through its website, app, email, and notice boards. Officials said that demand for the early years far exceeds availability, and vacancies in later grades are minimal as only a few children leave the school.
Admission Timeline and Assessment Methods:
A similar pattern is observed at DAV School, Sector 49, which follows a point-based system. Principal Charu Maini said that the school received approximately 600 applications for over 100 nursery and LKG seats, with distance being given the most weightage. Maini added, "Admissions to the upper classes are through an entrance test, which considers merit and extracurricular activities, while 10 percent of the seats are reserved under the EWS/DG category."