I think the degree of sacrifice involved in educating a highly gifted kid is largely a function of luck and where you live. We bought our house before giftedness was a thought in our minds, and yet, INCREDIBLY, we just happen to live only 10 minutes from a small, relatively affordable, private school (K through 12) that truly does provide an individualized curriculum for all kids. My 4 year old son is being taught fourth grade spelling and grammar in a kindergarten class of less than 10 kids, for $6,400 a year. That is no more than I would have paid for another year of preschool, where my son was "learning" the ABCs in a class of 18 kids. I've been reading this forum long enough to know that having this school as an option is akin to winning the lottery, so I think of the money as a pretty small sacrifice (although my husband feels the pain more than I do). I don't know how we'd manage in a place where the public schools are no good and good private schools are hours away or $20,000 a year.
