Personally I would look more at the method of instruction instead of whether it is competitive. I would find a place where the approach matches my kid's learning style. My kid would definitely do well in a competitive environment (and he does), as long as the competition is healthy (some places do go overboard and I certainly would avoid those). What matters to me is whether my kid will be in a place where originality, creativity and self-initiative are valued, whether children are encouraged to be deep thinkers, and whether they are required to do their personal best. Some schools are high-achieving by letting kids do lots of drills and the instruction is moer or less teaching to the test, they can score very high in tests but this is the kind of place I avoid at all costs.
