We grade skipped our DS knowing that one skip wouldn't be enough, and it was much better than no skip. It's much easier for a teacher differentiate if the student is only two years ahead rather than three, e.g. Our DS skipped first and was lucky enough to be in a class where there was one non-grade skipped kid at his level in one subject (so he wasn't in a group of one). There is a much greater chance if finding like minds among the brightest kids the next level up. We were lucky to find a school for HG kids that was accelerated, so we transferred out of 2nd, but that skip was necessary to make things more tolerable.
Does the school have any sort of GT program? If yes, if I were you I would request a meeting with the GT coordinator, asking what the school offers. If there is no program (and many times even if there is a program), you are dependent on particular teachers to differentiate for your kid. Clearly your son's current teacher doesn't get GT. I can't imagine that I would pay attention in class if I had to listen to something basic I had mastered years earlier, although there is great benefit to teach our kids that there are some things you need to do even if you don't want to. But it's not right for a teacher to tell a young child that they need to pay attention if they are not getting any benefit from the bargain. Every student deserves to learn new things at school.
You may have troubles getting much if the private school is not flexible. There are private schools around my area that claim that their curriculum is challenging for all the students. But if you are lucky, you may have just come across a bad fit teacher. The principal is the person who can help you find a good fit teacher, one who differentiates and wants a kid like yours. You can also request that your son be placed in a class that has other kids that score similarly.
What we have learned is that a good school situation may not last for long. We were lucky to find a good fit in an HG school, but that program ends next year, so we're looking at middle schools. In discussing options, I've said that although a particular private school sounds great, I would only send our kid there if there was a full scholarship, as there is no way to predict if it will be right for my kid, or for how long. We lean more toward looking for a school that is flexible an hopefully has had some experience with HG kids. Sorry for the long post. Good luck in your decision!
