Do you mean schools within the same district are run under this sort of master system, or even between districts it is like that? And yes, I hear you, if your school is one of the best in the area it's going to be hard to convince admin to change anything. Is there a decent private school around? Maybe that's going to be your best bet at this point. Sometimes not, though. One of DD's classmates transferred over from one of the better private schools in the area, with her parents saying that the school refused to do anything for them in terms of acceleration/differentiation, etc. You'd probably have to find one that focuses on gifted kids. Or maybe Montessori.