Hi, marieg!
You have two marvelous things going for you: the awesome gifted-friendly school district, and the proximity of elementary and junior high schools. I'm jealous :-)
I'm wondering if your choices might not be so binary (all middle school or all elementary). Have you or your district considered dual enrollment? This has been a wonderful option for many HG-EG-PG kids I know of. Even with schools separated by several miles, the Kindergarten bus often provides noon-time transportation from one school to another. And I even know a child who is triple-enrolled (high school, junior high, elementary school), with an educational program tailored to his individual needs, and with each subject at his own edge of development. Sounds a bit piecemeal, but it works for him and his family.
With those scores, it may be your daughter is pretty much at the same level all around, in which case dual enrollment wouldn't be best. It is particularly good for the so-called "spiky kids" or those with scatter, but to be realistic, lots of HG+ kids have some super high subjects and some moderately high ones....
My DS9 has current WISC-IV scores that are close or identical to those of your DD, particularly in VCI, PRI, and high GAI. It may appear superficially that he is well-rounded academically, with all subjects at the same very high level, but in reality he shows about a 1-4 grade spread as compared to our state curriculum guidelines -- everything in the GT range, but oh, what a range!
With your schools so closely proximated, is it possible your daughter could "float" back to her age-mates during lunch, for instance, or homeroom perhaps? Or for certain subjects, even if she simply worked independently some of that time, just surrounded by age-mates? It would depend on the set-up and scheduling at both schools, but you might want to check this out. Or once she's settled in the higher grade, this all might become a non-issue.
My ideal program for my DS would be to have him in about 3 different grades, 2-3 different schools. I had wanted him at middle school for the morning, with a return to elementary for lunch/recess and afternoons/specials with his age-mates. Best of both worlds. However, a rotating schedule at the middle school foiled our plans.
Thus, we are in the same boat as you, with similar scores, and only three choices that I can tell: a) binary choice between middle school and elementary, b) school-within-a-school (a completely differentiated program housed with his age-mates), or c) homeschooling.
Your DD sounds like the type who will thrive no matter where she is planted :-) And with the schools on your side, I'm just sure everything will work out great for her.
My best to you!
Advocate
