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[quote=Anonymous]I posted a month or so ago about the private school suggesting we start DD in Kindergarten instead of 1st grade and I got some very good and thought-provoking responses. DH and I have almost decided to do it, but I'm hesitating just a bit.

DD is a late July birthday and her school has an informal cut-off birth date of April or May. So, while she could technically fit into the 1st grade class, it is clear that almost every single child with a summer birthday is held back and that if she were pushed ahead she would be in class with 30-40% of students who are a full calendar year older than her or more.  The school is also academically rigorous and claims that they teach almost a grade above level, compared to public schools.  DD is also socially immature for her age. She struggles with some social interactions, gets frustrated quickly, resorts to baby talk when feeling shy or awkward, etc.  For all of those reasons, it seems to make sense to enroll her in K again.

On the other hand, DD is very, very bright. She scored 97-99% on each category of the WPPSI. She is spatially and mathematically inclined. She learned chess and understood some strategy when she was just 5. She's great at puzzles and patterns.  I don't think she's the next Einstein or anything, but I worry that holding her back academically may not be the best choice in a few years once she has grown in maturity if she is still very bright.

So, for parents who have been down this road before: is social development a better yardstick than academic development in terms of where to place a child in school?  Or will she wind up bored later on? 
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