My DD6 skipped K and started 1st a month before her 5th birthday. She would have been one of the youngest in K and the kids in her class were from 10 months to 2.5 years older. She fit in well and the classroom experience was just right for her, but the academics were too easy. She did have a few minor behavior things (playing outside after school instead of going to the daycare room, seeing what it was like to be sent to the principal, roughhousing with the boys) that the school was quick to put down to immaturity, but we felt were do to boredom, her try-things-to-see-what-happens attitude, and tomboy nature.
The school is also 50 minutes away, and she was in carpool with kids ranging in age from 6 - 14, leaving at 7:15 and getting home at 4:00. she was (and is!) a complete rock star with it all. We did, however, did have many days of left lunch boxes, coats, and sweaters, lost water bottles, and homework folder not turned in.
Last year she was in a 2nd-3rd multi-age classroom where she was grouped with the 3rd graders. Still not challenging, but better by a long shot than 1st grade where she would have been chronologically (or K where she would have been in 30 other states!). She got much better at remembering her things to and from home, began advocating for herself, and enjoyed the overnight field trip her class took. She wanted to be friends with the 3rd grade girls, but wanted them to like the things she was into - fairies, forming nature clubs, running around outside - when they were more interested in just sitting and talking. It was a lonely year in that respect and we ended up doing lots of play dates with age-mates from around our home.
Next year she goes to the all 3rd grade, back with the group of kids she was in 1st with. That's great socially, she's looking forward to the 2 weeks of "pioneer days" where they all dress up and some other extras, but we are very worried about what the academics will be like with her repeating 3rd grade. We are hoping the school will change their mind and allow her to continue her subject acceleration by going to 4th (or 5th!) for math, reading, and spelling.
Really, school has been mostly for being social and the extras. The real learning is at home.
All that is a long way of saying, yes, my child skipped K, we are happy that she did, and still fighting for appropriate academic placement.
We had to fight for 6 months to get her school to grudgingly admit her to 1st and I would have loved to have a gifted school offering us early admission.
Yes, we realize that we had what most people would have considered an unusually great option, but it just wasn't the right answer for us, at this time.
