My DD has been going to an outdoor micro school since last spring so it's been almost a year but it's not specifically a school for gifted. There is another child there who reads fluently and there is one or two girls who seem very precocious socially but I'm not sure if DD feels she is among her "peers." I really don't know. At the same time, if there were to be another micro school that caters to gifted children, I'm not sure if I would want to switch. DD has a standing weekly educational playdate with a 8 year old boy who is exceptionally smart. They get along beautifully but that's the thing. DD already knows how to gets along with other "nerdy" children (especially boys) who want to talk science and numbers. Right now, I'm still hopeful that with enough guidance and support, she will find ways to connect to age-peers who do not use words that appear on SAT hit parade lists.
I am not aware of any empirical evidence as I did zero research before jointing the school. The reason I chose a micro school over other choices was that I did not feel DD was ready to be one of 24 children in a classroom when she was 3.
I have a couple of friends who are rather vocal against keeping DD there next year. They feel that kind of environment is not really "school" enough. They also feel it'd be a lot easier for DD to find a true peer if I sent her to a large selective private school. I thought that was a valid point so I did apply her to two such private schools and I won't know if DD is offered a spot or not until April. More I think about those two schools though, less sure I feel about sending her to either. The average household income is probably well over $150,000 at both schools and we would stick out like sore thumbs.
Another aspect of sending a gifted child to a micro school is that at least my DD tends to get bored rather quickly. With one teacher and a handful of classmates, your DD might feel restless soon too. We went through a rough patch recently and things are still a bit bumpy but I'd like to view if as a learning experience for DD, that things aren't always going to be new, exciting, fun, and to her liking.
Right now, I'm leaning towards keeping her there one more year. She can go 3 days a week and homeschool with me and SO 2 days. I applied to join a charter school that supports homeschooling families and we were accepted. My biggest concern is that as many of the other children at the micro school are going to be 5 and 6 next year, DD's teacher might feel she has to do some Kindergarten academics next year. That would make things a lot worse for us. I am having a dialogue with her teacher to see what her plan is.
