Is there any program that offers a gap year before high school?
My 13-year old 8th grader is on the immature side. Physically, he is quite small for his age and has not yet hit puberty. He is often mistaken for a 10 year-old. His executive functioning skills are lagging a bit and his social skills are, in many ways, not at grade level. He does well in school and functions at a high level academically, but requires some accommodations because of a learning difference and is very uneven in his skills. His birthday puts him on the younger side of the kids in his grade. He is good natured and gentle and has not been in any kind of trouble. He wants to attend the local public high school next year and I'm having trouble imagining it.
Is there any program in the East Bay that helps families create an extra year in between middle school and high school? I think he could really benefit from an extra year to develop before tackling high school. It is not feasible for us to homeschool him (and he would hate it) and we cannot do anything extreme next year like spend the year abroad.
Parent Replies
I sent my son to Tilden prep to take a few classes between middle and high school because he was young and had some adhd-related challenges. It wasn’t a perfect solution, but I’m so glad he waited a year to start high school.
Many file the private school affidavit in California to homeschool (go to hsc.org for more info), and as a private school, you set the curriculum and expectations for any student in your school. By filing the PSA for your "gap year", this gives you the freedom to have your son take a year off from public school and in the meantime he can work on projects, work at a job, volunteer, take a college course under dual enrollment, or whatever you deem is appropriate for him to be doing and learning in that year, etc. So, technically you are homeschooling but you don't have to do 'school at home' during that time. Also, if you've never tried homeschooling, I'm not sure how he knows he'd hate something he's never done! What I've described above is what a lot of kids do for homeschool and they are going to college in droves. This isn't your grandma's homeschooling, the kids aren't only sitting at a kitchen table, shut away from the world, reading a bible. Look into unschooling as well, and call the HSC phone line at 888-HSC-4440 for more information about what homeschooling can be like and do for your kiddo. It's pretty amazing. Feel free to contact me personally for more information on how to do this.
You didn't mention what type of school your son attends. A friend of mine had a similar situation with her son, although they are located in Silicon Valley. He had attended a small private elementary/middle school. He repeated 8th grade at the public middle school as a transition year before entering the public high school. This was very successful for him. The boy is now a junior in high school, we'll adjusted with friends, doing well academically, and participating in sports.