I tried hard for my 6th grader (elementary here) to go to the middle school for Algebra last year. The middle school was a block away without any major roads to cross. I explained that I would pick up or drive or do whatever was necessary. We were not allowed to do it due to some policy somewhere that did not allow elementary students to attend middle schools. This year she attends a charter school that is both a ms and hs combined. They also did the freak out of not having the math credits for high school which I still do not understand how that all works... but we are just taking it a semester by semester at this point.
I myself do not have a high school diploma and left at 10 grade. I was admitted into a university without a diploma based on classes taken originally as an extension student. The thing that I miss is I do not have any high school reunion to go to. I did not miss the prom or stuff like that.
