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MyDD10 doesn't turn 11 until the very end of May. She is in 6th grade after skipping 5th grade in a private school. Next year we are going to homeschool as she is still bored. I plan to advance her to 8th grade work and do less busywork.

I am debating whether to register her as a 6th grader again or as a 7th grader and maybe doing a transitional year before starting high school where she will do a research project. Her registered grade won't affect what she learns as that is determined by me, just her "official" grade and perhaps when she will start high school. I am interested in any opinions on this matter. I would rather her not leave home for college earlier than necessary and would rather her take college classes while still being a high school student.

What is your local dual enrollment situation like where she will presumably re-enroll eventually?

Are there a lot of offerings? Is it hard to get permission?

What does the future of that program look like in the next four years? Which way is the wind blowing-- is it likely that the program could get axed via Common Core implementation?

All of those things would play into that decision for me.

If she's still bored NOW, after a 1y skip, then effectively UN-doing that skip seems unwise without having some kind of plan hammered out ahead of time with the high school. Will they allow her to skip some graduation requirements in favor of dual enrollment? If so, get that in writing.

Personally, I'd be more likely to call her a 7th grader for now, and see where you're at in another year. If nothing else, you can always hit "un-do" on the skip when you go to actually ENROLL her in what they consider to be 10th grade. Just tell them that you've been unschooling and therefore, she's a 9th grader.

Or tell them that she is a 10th grader.

Whatever seems to align better with your goals at that time. KWIM?

She can dual enroll in college classes at 16. I like your idea of talking to the high schools now to find out what the options are for dual enrollment. We are not sure where she will end up in the public or the private high school but that question could weigh on our decision. I don't think it is hard to get permission but it is worth asking now, especially the private school.

The main reason I am thinking about keeping her as a 6th grader is that some of the academic contests and even piano are grade based and not age based. Also, the good private schools do a grade ahead in the same curriculum for their honors classes. Her school does not have a separate class, so they skipped her.

Just make sure you check your state laws about repeating a grade. I think that PA school sports regulations start at 7th (not 6th), but I could be wrong. There is a question on the sports forms asking if the kid repeated a grade after 6th. While you may not care about sports right now, they could come into play later, or a similar question may come up for other activities. Just be careful that a repeat now or down the road doesn't affect eligibility for various activities.