diff --git a/mm/kfence/core.c b/mm/kfence/core.c
index d7666ace9d2e..2623ff401a10 100644
--- a/mm/kfence/core.c
+++ b/mm/kfence/core.c
@@ -733,6 +733,13 @@ void kfence_shutdown_cache(struct kmem_cache *s)
 
 void *__kfence_alloc(struct kmem_cache *s, size_t size, gfp_t flags)
 {
+	/*
+	 * Perform size check before switching kfence_allocation_gate, so that
+	 * we don't disable KFENCE without making an allocation.
+	 */
+	if (size > PAGE_SIZE)
+		return NULL;
+
 	/*
 	 * allocation_gate only needs to become non-zero, so it doesn't make
 	 * sense to continue writing to it and pay the associated contention
@@ -757,9 +764,6 @@ void *__kfence_alloc(struct kmem_cache *s, size_t size, gfp_t flags)
 	if (!READ_ONCE(kfence_enabled))
 		return NULL;
 
-	if (size > PAGE_SIZE)
-		return NULL;
-
 	return kfence_guarded_alloc(s, size, flags);
 }