We had that last year with a private school that is very highly regarded (think rigor and for g/t kids with the right personality, a good fit). I learned recently we aren't the only ones who have pulled gifted kids out, which made me feel better.

We live in a very highly ranked, popular school system whose g/t seems to be mostly pullouts starting in third grade. I was unimpressed with what I read and so DS is in a second, parochial school and doing well.

I'm also not a fan of relying too heavily on school test scores. What I want for my children is critical thinking, interpersonal skills and learning capabilities... not easily measured on a standardized test.

It is difficult to know what to say, since everyone assumes we live where we do because of the great schools. What we are doing makes sense in my head for now, but that doesn't make conversations with others easier. I usually leave it at a good fit we stumbled across (true) and convenient to our other child's childcare center (true).

I have found little evidence that public education in general is optimal for most children. There are better methods but they don't seem to be widely implemented.