It will depend on your child’s age, interests and strengths.
For my DS7, we’ve had reasonable success this year in a Montessori elementary that runs about a year ahead of local standards. DS telescoped grades 1/2 last year and is in 3rd at his current school, working on grade 4-5 material. The school is strong on language arts, math, and social sciences, but weak in natural sciences, which we supplement at home. DS isn’t strongly challenged (he’d probably be academically well placed in 6th grade, save exec function that is still very much 7/8), but is at least engaged and interested, and I think this is the best institutional balance we’ll find currently in our area.
Several of his classmates are gifted or grade skipped, so he’s well placed socially, too. The school, although it technically covers up to grade 6, has teachers trained to instruct up to grade 9. The structure of the classes is open-ended and project based, so students can stretch themselves, so the principal and staff say. In the trenches, I see flexibility, but not enough.
I see him doing well because the classes are large and mixed age, with plenty of ippprrunities for leadership and friendship. The sports program is solid and recreationally focuses, so there is a pleasant lack of pressure and an emphasis on sportsmanship and fun.
My prediction is that next year, as a young 4th grader in a 4-6 class, he’ll be able to stretch. However, I’m somewhat skeptic am beyond that...
Hopefully I’ll be proven wrong!
