I think it is very rare to find a school, private or public, that will challenge a gifted kid in the elementary grades. That being said, I think a gifted child can be happy and thrive at school, either public or private.
There are a number of considerations. I don't need you to answer them and reveal information about yourself, but some things I would consider are:
- What is your public school district?
- Do you have the financial means to send your child to private school?
- If you could send your child to private school for a limited number of years, would it be better to send him in the younger years or in high school?
- Is the math challenge in school really needed? Or can you supplement the math outside of school?
I would consider these questions because there are several good school districts on the Main Line. For the most part, the teachers are good, though elementary school teachers are a bit of a mixed bag. The real problem is the administration. Many of them have their own agenda, and it isn't typically challenging the individual student. It is all about appearances and rankings and ratings. Middle and high school teachers do care about students and will often advocate for them.
Private schools, at least most I know, cost $25K-30K/yr for early elementary grades, then about $35K/yr for high school. That can add up, especially if you have other kids that might attend private school as well.
While I attended a Main Line private school K-12, we didn't have the means to send our kids to private school all the way through. We sent them from Pre-K through a portion of elementary. The foundational years were important to us, but I know others who went for the high school years, and it turned out well for them. I do think that the college admissions would have turned out better for my older two (youngest is in 8th grade) if they had a private school college counselor. They have connections.
Many gifted and bright kids will go through math (or rather, arithmetic) quickly. Public schools can actually be more accommodating with math. My older two had kids in their class who exhausted the high school math courses by the end of eighth grade. That means those kids were finished with multi-variable calculus and linear algebra. They took college math classes starting in 9th. Private schools don't all accommodate in this way, allowing younger kids to attend high school classes, and then taking college courses.
It isn't necessary to go racing through math. My middle kid did not consider herself to be a great math student (not taking college classes while in high school), but is now majoring in math (as well as a non-STEM major). Often the kids who race through math don't take full advantage of other sorts of courses. My eldest and middle kid took two languages through AP. Middle kid also took linear algebra in high school. Both also played varsity sports and a year-round travel sport. And did other stuff.
And perhaps most importantly, at a good public or private school, your child will have academic peers. The opportunity to be around other kids near or at his level is important. My kids are not profoundly gifted, though they know kids who are. My eldest says that the high school kids she hung out with are brighter than most she met in college. My kids have found the chance to discuss and debate things with really bright kids to be valuable.
We put the older two through the process of gifted identification when they were in middle school (to get automatic entry to a certain course in high school). The gifted program in our district is not much of anything, and very limited in elementary. The district makes you jump through all sorts of hoops and they will not accept outside testing - they administer the IQ test of their choosing.
Good luck with your search for a school.
