That explains so much, and it's entirely consistent with what I've observed locally as well. The labels (including the R-word) are about parental needs, the education is what all mainstream students could (and maybe should) benefit from, and it really only doesn't work for kids that are HG or PG. Mostly.
You are oversimplifying. If the two choices are gifted schools for 130+ IQs and regular schools geared to 95 IQ students, the 120 IQ kid may be "mainstream" but still better off in the gifted school, while the 90 IQ kid is also "mainstream" but is better off in the regular school. If there were ability grouping in regular schools, the 120 IQ kid might be better off in tracked classes in the regular school.
So this is about private school privilege without tuition. I see.
When I lived in NYC, I was one of the taxpayers, in a city with millions of tax-eaters. I would not have felt guilty about prepping my kids for the gifted program tests, so that I could actually get some benefit from my tax dollars.
