mixed grade class environment (he's in the 1st-3rd room)
While gifted kids often thrive in a mixed-age classroom, this tends to be especially true when they are at the young end of the age ranges. Being at the older end of the age ranges may provide no intellectual peers... this may rectify itself next year when he is the younger end of the 4th-8th grade group.
To clarify, DS is 8 and in second grade. He's in the third grade reading group and fourth grade math.
You're right about it being a long time before he's in the 4th-6th room. (7th & 8th are in another.) I've read that things really come to a head right around third grade for kids whose needs aren't being met, and underachievement or disengagement will have set in by then. So, we are really looking for as close to a perfect fit as possible right now.
