I could write a book on this subject. {sigh}
The short version--
DD spent 9 years with a CA school, from third grade all through high school. She was literally their poster child at one point (well, for gifted ed, anyway, in their annual catalog).
It was good until Pearson bought them out. Well-- it was
better until then, anyway.
Highlights:
1. GT literature electives in middle school grades were excellent (when handled by a teacher who has mastery of the medium, that is).
2. Peer tutoring in math was delightful for DD, and she made friends that she still keeps in touch with, doing that. The supervisor of that program (Jen Roca in MD) is amazing. DD loves her.
3. The time that the program allowed had to be channeled properly to be of use-- but it did permit us to compress what would otherwise have been "challenging" curriculum (esp. in high school) for most MG students into an almost impossibly short school week, allowing for a LOT of extracurricular time. Work, volunteering, loads of outside projects, travel, exercise... sports, etc.
The bad:
1. If your child likes instruction, forget it. DD got 32 hours of instruction in second year German, for example. (Not kidding.)
It was less than that in AP Statistics, incidentally.
2. Assessment is FUBAR in this model, and it can readily drive perfectionism and avoidant coping. Not kidding. It's horrible.
DO NOT recommend on this basis, depending upon the kind of child you have. If you have an anxious, avoidant/procrastinating kind of child, who already has perfectionism issues? Oy. Watch out.
I've written lots and lots and lots about CA.
If I had it to do over again, I'm not sure the diploma was worth it for DD. She did get to experience some "typical" things that she wouldn't have via homeschooling, held various leadership offices via school, graduated #1....
and she earned a full merit scholarship to college, made friends... but the academic fit? NOT good.
Sorry.
Middle school was pretty good. It may well be that by the time DD was a couple years into high school, the academic fit was just really bad again and she needed to not be in high school anymore. Hard to say how much was the Pearson buy-out which happened when she was an 8th/9th grader. (DD is functionally PG, by the way-- entered university at 15.)
