Delhi nursery admissions: Why proximity dominates, what schools are doing and why parents are uneasy

The private unaided schools in Delhi have started the Nursery, KG and Class 1 admission process for the academic year 2026–27. Application forms will go live on December 4, and the process will run till December 27.

The DoE had released the overall schedule last week, instructing each school to declare in advance its admission criteria, point allocation, and seat availability on their websites as well as the DoE portal.

But even as schools uploaded their individual 100-point frameworks, proximity once again emerged as the most decisive factor in selections -while parents' groups voiced concern about staggered disclosures, age-eligibility inconsistencies and the lack of a centralized dashboard.

Proximity dominates point systems

While the highest weightage across most major private schools has been assigned to the distance between the applicant's home and the school, institutions have continued the long-standing practice of giving paramount importance to neighbourhood access well above other parameters such as sibling preference, alumni status, gender considerations, or staff affiliation.

At Mount Abu Public School in Rohini, proximity accounts for 80 points out of the total 100. Siblings receive 10 points, girl or single-child applicants receive five and alumni or staff wards get another five. Principal Jyoti Arora was quoted as saying by HT, “Distance continues to carry the highest weightage, followed by sibling and alumni and staff links,” stating that the school tries to promote gender equality and incentivise families “to empower their daughters through quality education.”

Modern Public School, Shalimar Bagh, has similarly put neighbourhood proximity at the top. Principal Alka Kapur said the neighbourhood category carries maximum weightage because proximity ensures ease of access, safety and stronger community linkage for young learners. She added that sibling and alumni categories are weighted next since family association serves as "a significant indicator of continuity and engagement."

Other well-known schools including Venkateshwar International School, The Shri Ram School and Sanskriti School have implemented similar hierarchies in their 100-point matrices, HT reports.

Minority school uses religious criteria and catchment area

It is reported that St Michael's Senior Secondary School has taken a decidedly different approach, setting aside 40 points for practising Christians. It allots 30 points for neighbourhood distance, 20 points for alumni links and 10 points for siblings.

The school, which is a recognized Christian minority institution, requires both parents to be practising Christians to avail points on the basis of faith. To verify this fact, applicants should possess knowledge of “basic catechism”. “Christian parents are expected to know basic catechism to prove that they are practising Christians,” the school states.

Parents frustrated by staggered disclosure and mixed age norms

While many schools posted their criteria quickly, several had yet to publish, leaving families with a series of rolling uncertainties. The DoE’s directive on November 22 said when schools could start publishing criteria but did not mention a deadline for ending the process, forcing parents to check individual websites repeatedly.

"This creates unnecessary friction for parents who must continually check separate school portals for information," Delhi School Parents Association president Aparajita Gautam was quoted as saying by HT. She cited that such confusion would not have arisen if the DoE managed a single-window system: "The government should adopt a single-window system so points criteria and age norms for all schools are listed under one unified head."

Gautam also pointed to inconsistencies in age requirements. Though the DoE has directed schools to follow the 3+ eligibility norm in accordance with NEP 2020, some still list the minimum four-year age for Nursery admissions. “This only compounds the confusion,” she said.

Revised age norms and key deadlines to be followed by parents

The 2026–27 cycle will be the second year of the implementation of Delhi’s NEP-aligned foundational stage age criteria. As per the guidelines available at edudel.nic.in, for Nursery, the child should be three years old but not more than four years as on March 31, 2026.

In the case of KG, a child has to attain the age of at least four years but less than five, while for Class 1, the child has to be at least five but less than six years old. Children who are already enrolled in Nursery or KG during 2025–26 will automatically get a promotion to the next level, so only new applicants need to be within the specified age limits.

The DoE has also capped the registration fee at Rs 25 and prohibited the collection of capitation fees or mandatory prospectus charges.

How the point system and draw of lots work

Each private unaided school is supposed to declare its selection criteria and the points it assigns to each category. Schools consider factors like distance between home and school, sibling studying in the same school, parent being an alumnus and applicant being the ward of staff. Distance is said to be the category attracting the highest weightage continuously.

Once the applications are received, the schools have to upload a complete list of all applicants before the commencement of the selection process. Thereafter, the points awarded to each child will have to be uploaded prior to declaring any list of admissions.

If more applicants score the same points as the available seats, then the school must conduct a draw of lots. It must be video-recorded and done in the presence of parents with an announcement at least two days in advance.

Under the Right to Education Act, 25 per cent of seats remain reserved for children from Economically Weaker Sections, Disadvantaged Groups and for Children with Disabilities. These are filled through a separate centralised mechanism.

Documents parents should prepare

According to DoE, parents are advised to keep all the required documents ready before commencing the application process. These include a copy of the birth certificate of the child for age verification, residence proof like the ration card, electricity or water bill, Aadhaar Card, Voter ID or passport, and identity proof for both parents.

Recent photographs of the child and parents are also to be submitted. Parents should also provide proof if a sibling is studying in the same school and documentation if the parent is an alumnus of the school. Applications under the reserved category for Children with Disabilities require a government-issued disability certificate. How to apply: Online or offline Parents can submit applications through either the official websites of individual schools or offline, as decided by each school. After filling in all required details, parents must upload or attach supporting documents, pay the permitted Rs 25 registration fee and save the acknowledgement receipt for later verification. The applicants are thereafter expected to check the website of the school routinely for publication of applicant lists, points awarded and first and second selection lists along with dates for verification of documents and admission formalities.