There are surely some things you love about the school starting with how happy and upbeat the other parents are. Also, I can assure you that not all parents are happy with the level of work. At least in our schools, the average kids were totally left out and those kids moved to private. And the commercialism. Those kids moved to private too. So, you are just seeing the ones who are left.

When there are lots of GT kids, there are lots of parents who are shocked their kid is in it as a slightly above average achiever. They are probably the ones doing the talking. And remember that large numbers of GT kids means political clout. The school board is less likely to abandon the program like many have. But it also means that the GT program is for 85%tile and up (yes that's the aim), which in lake wobegone where everyone is above average, means a very high percentage in GT, especially if it's based on parent push or teacher recs rather than test scores.

So, what I'd say is fill that glass til it's half full. See the teachers are so loving and enthusiastic. Bullying is under control. There are parties every other day. Or whatever is true about your school. Look for the positives. Academics is just one part of the larger community. But if it's a major drag on your son, you may just need to opt out. Good luck convincing these happy people that your son could possibly be unhappy.

Advocacy in these happy schools takes a lot of rah-rah cheerleading followed by "this tiny piece is just not working for us, but everything else is golden. Go team!".