DS, one overall grade ahead due to an early start (now 9th grade, newly 14), began attending math one grade up in 5th (although we had requested math acceleration from the beginning). This minor accommodation caused quite a lot of resentment by some teachers and some families, so it did come at a price. We even experienced an attempt to shut him out of pre-algebra, where the stronger math students go after 6th grade math, as the teacher tried to withhold the fact that he had done well on the algebra readiness assessment. He did get into a pre-algebra class for his 6th grade due to the good sense of the vice principle, but with 8th graders rather than more advanced 7th grade students. We were not guaranteed continued math acceleration for the next year (unless he accepted a full grade skip) ---geometry wasn�t offered at the K-8th school anyway.
His current middle/high school carefully evaluated ds and found that he met the threshold for math subject acceleration there. He is now in his third year of high school math (Alg2/trig) on their highest tier math track (intended for STEM prep). This is conservative acceleration by most standards and he likely could have gone further faster had he been given the opportunity. Yet, the dept chair, who taught him geometry last year and will teach him again for his sophomore, junior and senior years, presents and challenges well beyond what is typically expected given the common course title. His current math class doesn�t require much of his attention, but he is sufficiently challenged in a couple other courses this year.
THE BEST PART is that due to his success in above grade level math, he requested to skip 8th grade science and started with freshmen physics early. He is now in the honors level chemistry class, which he LOVES. By time he graduates high school (after four years), he will have taken seven honors or AP lab sciences. The bottom line is that we consider his science progression the greatest benefit resulting from his 5th grade math acceleration. He plans to be a scientist/engineer.
