DS5 in that K year at a montessori now, not the only 5 year old but the only boy and now the eldest after another child left. He's lonely, and that's the downside. We worry also that when he joins the public system in 1st that he'll be the newcomer and not fit in as easily as if he'd started when everyone else did.
We went on vacation recently and by pure luck were next door to a bright similar age boy and suddenly DS had a buddy for a couple weeks, it about made me cry to see him have a budding friendship. And I did cry after it ended, not so much that he was missing his friend but just how long it could be before he gets along with another kid that well.
There are just many more upsides than downsides to having him in the montessori for K though. A small student to teacher ratio, lenient rules, spacious, plenty of run-around time, individualized instruction so that he doesn't sit through needless hours of ABCs, and I can pull him out anytime I feel like or bring him late and no one blinks. It's the least worst option for us, it's not ideal but I think lonely for friends yet basically happy is as good as we could have hoped for this year.
We have a gifted school an hour from us that I think he'd likely and thrive in both academically and friend-wise, but we'd have to move. It's an option for when the local public doesn't work out in a year or two. I'd love to do it this year but that's just not possible. And then there's the money aspect.
Because of the flexible attendance at the montessori I do take DS to homeschool type classes one day a week, where there is a mixed age group mostly older than him. We also try hard with finding camps in the breaks and summers that would attract other bright kids, and have made a priority to drive to those things even if they are far away. So far none of those things have turned into friendships but they've enriched his life much more than sitting through hours of practice counting or memorizing sight words would have.
So no solutions here but basically in the same boat. Nothing to do but choose the least worst option and work on planning for the longterm.
