Bostonian, If I understand your mail correctly your older two took are taking both AOPS and RSM. Did you find them complementary or duplicative?
RSM homework provides more practice than the AOPS homework challenge questions, which are more conceptual. My middle child did not want to attend in-person math classes during the summer, so he did an AOPS class instead. Now that his RSM class has started again, he is not doing AOPS.
I'd say try AOPS first. If your child is motivated enough to do the online homework and participate in the online classes, and if he or she can handle the material, RSM may not be necessary.
Our younger children are in grades 4 and 5. The current plan is to have them continue with RSM through high school. We are trusting RSM to get them through the math sequence through AP Calculus and to have them ready for the SAT and SAT math subject test, consistent with the goals they have listed
http://www.russianschool.com/our-programs/high-school . RSM should help them get into and stay in top track math classes in "regular" school. Our oldest child is more gifted in math, and although he is also in RSM, we would consider taking him out if he became too busy.
In our town of about 20,000 people, the RSM branch has several hundred students, so it cannot be focused on the most gifted math students, although it still may have something to offer them.
