My dd8 is an April birthday. Our cutoff is December, so she ended up being one of the older students in her class. Her experience in 1st grade could not have been better (she did not attend K). She was mature, confident and happy. Some of the kids on the younger side struggled a bit. I think your experience at school in your earlier years shapes the rest of your school years.

She was grade skipped for next year, so she will now be one of the younger kids in her class. I guess I will just have to wait and see how this works out.