My 5 year old Kindergartener tested in the gifted range (142 on WPPSI IV). He is quite advanced in reading, logic and math. He reads at the level of a 3rd grader and does Math at the level of a 2nd/3rd grader without much help at home. His Montessori classroom teacher whom we deeply respect and adore is advocating private schooling for 1st grade and beyond as she thinks the small classroom size will give him extra attention and care given that he is emotionally very sensitive and does not readily socialize.
We started making inquiries with some top private schools in Main Line near Philadephia. But we learned that none offers gifted education or accelerated instruction in the lower school. There seem to be many options for accelerating in the middle and a rich variety of AP courses in the upper school. The schools have a rich curriculum and a record of producing academic achievers. They claim that they focus on "all-rounded" education in the lower years (including arts, athletics, etc.) but I am concerned about not challenging my child enough in the lower school years, especially in math. We are debating if we should instead try the gifted programs in some of the top public schools in the area.
Have you had experience with educating a gifted child in a top private school (esp lower school) with a curriculum common to the student pool? How would you compare gifted public education with the "all-rounded" education at private schools?
Thanks!
