Holding Out or Holding Back? Shifts in Kindergarten Redshirting and Retention Since the COVID-19 Pandemic

This study examined changes in kindergarten redshirting and retention practices in Delaware since the COVID-19 pandemic. Using student-level data from fall 2010 to fall 2023, we found that redshirting rates spiked dramatically in fall 2021, with the largest relative increases among historically underrepresented groups including Black, Hispanic, and low-income students. Retention showed a long-term declining trend that was disrupted only in 2021, when rates returned to pre-pandemic levels. These patterns suggest both practices operated as parallel strategies for securing more typical kindergarten experiences. These demographic shifts have important implications for classroom composition and instructional planning in post-pandemic elementary education.