He started K at 5, as he "should" have. At the time we had no idea people held their boys back from starting K until they were 6. He is physically smallish, compared to others in his grade, particularly because many of them are 8-13 months older because they started late. We know he will be tall eventually, but it is likely he will be a late bloomer like his 6'4" dad. But I'm not looking for any more feedback on this, thank you! I was mainly looking for help in finding official resources to get the answers to my question. Which is, is it possible, and if so, how do I do it? I'm leaning towards not doing it and my husband is leaning towards doing it, and my son isn't sure. So it is my job to explore all options so we are making the most informed decision.

Ok, thank you everyone. For the people who found my post "insulting," or insinuating that I am not taking my son's education seriously - that is not the case. I am simply EXPLORING options IF we decide to move forward in this way because I promised my husband that I would do so. Because I am not totally on board with not promoting a straight-A student. But it is done a LOT in our area so I said I would look into it. I already know all the reasons NOT to do it. I came here looking for resources. My husband and I were both fall babies and were young for our grade. But times have changed and it seems to be the norm for kids to start their kids later, regardless of the cutoff date. Everyone here who is telling me their experiences when they were in school - it is really different now. People with boys born May-August are simply not sending their kids to kinder at age 5. But I can see that subject has been beaten to death and this thread has gotten off track. For the record, for those who think all we care about are sports, let me be very clear. We take our son's education VERY seriously. Getting good grades is paramount - it is his JOB. If his grades aren't up, he doesn't even get to play sports. He is rewarded by us for his academic achievements, not his athletic achievements. But playing sports is fun for him; it's where he works off the pressure he has academically. We just want him to be happy and balanced. If he is not totally on board, and he has vacillated back and forth about it, we will not move forward.

Our middle school doesn't have sports. The only competitive edge he would get is once he enters high school. And we are under no illusion that he is going to be a professional ball player. The thought is that high school will be more fun for him if he is playing the sports he loves. Sports are very competitive where we live too. But the school cutoff date, whether it is September or December, doesn't seem to matter -- a significant number of my son's friends are already a year older because they have birthdays May-August, but their parents waited until they were 6 to start them in kindergarten. So they turned 7 at the end of kindergarten and they are now 14 entering 8th grade, as opposed to my son who recently turned 13. So on their "7th grade" team, my son was one of the youngest. I'm addressing the sports issues here because that's what everyone keeps mentioning. Thanks again for all your input. I will contact my district as well as some private schools, and research our homeschool options as well.

Thank you, Roadrunner!

Thank you, everyone. Clearly I have some homework to do!

I don't see how on earth the middle school would socially promote him to 9th grade - he would then be a year behind academically. My husband is an early fall birthday and he skipped a grade because he was "ready" - and he and his parents regret it. He was 16 when he graduated, and had a late growth spurt and was unable to play the sports he was interested in. So he may be hypersensitive to my son's situation and trying to prevent him from the way he felt in high school, being so young in his school year.

Oh, and my son's feelings are completely being considered. He has vacillated between being all for it and totally against it. I'm trying to get all information from both sides so we can make an informed decision.

I don't see how the district could automatically place him in 9th when he hasn't taken any 8th grade classes. As for the sports teams, most of the travel teams are feeder teams into high school programs and are therefore by grade, not age. I'm not "failing" him for sports. Remember at the beginning of this thread when I asked for no judgement?? And how I said sports were only part of the equation?! I'd be enhancing by having him take 7th grade classes that are different than the classes he already took. The district would then get $$$ for 8th and 9th grade. I don't mean to demean or minimize what any of you are doing with your own kids. Most of the people I know who did it went to a Christian school that is partial homeschool and not an option for us for personal reasons. Others held their kids from starting kindergarten at age 5, and started them at age 6. It seems it is a growing trend that we didn't consider when we started him in kinder at 5. Thank you all for your input.

I'm hearing everything you are all saying. He doesn't have a "psych test." He has always been in public school, and he has "advanced" test scores, including GATE, going back to 2nd grade. And he completed Algebra 1 in 7th grade with an A. But how could the public school NOT admit him as an 8th grader, if he hasn't had 8th grade classes yet?! (Outside of the Algebra 1, which is 7/8 at our school). I'd want him to follow his current math trajectory and go into Geometry in 8th grade. This is the year we have to do it - from what I understand, he can't do this after 8th grade due to CIF regulations for sports. And yes, he is a good athlete - and has always been fine until this past year, when all the kids who started kindergarten at age 6 hit puberty and grew, and it's simply not a level playing field anymore. That one year makes a huge difference in their athleticism, whereas my kid is still growing into his body. I really want to have to explain our personal situation further and trust me, I am seeing all sides of this situation. We are currently a house divided, with my son unsure. I'm mainly looking for where to get official answers - who to call, etc. I'm not sure we can do homeschool for 2 years as there is a strong possibility I may have to go back to work after this coming school year. I don't want him to strictly repeat his 7th grade courses - I want him to focus more on creative writing, art, and sciences. Thanks again.

If I homeschool him in 7th grade courses and designate him as a 7th grader, doesn't the school have to admit him as an 8th grader the following year since he hadn't taken any 8th grade classes? I should state that I am not totally on board with this. But I promised my husband that I'd remain open minded and thoroughly explore all options. Many people in our area have held their boys back specifically for sports, but they may not have had the grades my son has. I didn't realize how common it was until we got closer and closer to high school and realized that the kids in his grade were so much bigger than him. Then we found out many of them are almost a full year older than him. Many of them started kindergarten at age 6, but several repeated 7th by going to a private Christian school for one year and then going back to public school. I'm looking for a secular option. He's also been under a tremendous amount of pressure the past couple of years and it has taken a toll on him. So I'm just trying to figure out how people do it. Thanks for all the help here. I know many of you don't agree with this and I don't want to go into our whole life story, but we do have reasons other than "just for sports." Thank you all -- keep the suggestions coming!

Thank you for your response! I truly have no idea what the home school regulations are (California), or even where to start!! I'm completely brand new to this. My son has a late May birthday as well...and is very active in sports. But most of the kids he plays with in his current grade are 9-12 months older and the difference is really apparent. That is a big part of our decision (no judgement out there, please!). Not "just" for sports, but for everything (other than grades). Socially, emotionally, and physically. I'd probably want to have him repeat math to keep his brain fresh but also take courses not currently offered in his public school to challenge him as well.

Hello, I'm new to this website. My son recently finished 7th grade and did very well academically, in advanced classes. However, he has an early summer birthday and is younger, physically smaller, and emotionally not as developed as his classmates, especially those on his basketball and football teams. We are considering having him "repeat" 7th grade via home school or online, and have him re-enter public school as an 8th grader in 2016. Looking back, of course, we would have started him in kindergarten later, but now here we are. Because his grades have been As, I'm having a hard time finding a school that will enroll him as a 7th grader. I only want him to repeat a couple of classes to keep his brain fresh (ie, Algebra 1), so that he stays on track when he eventually goes back to PS. I'd like him to take art, writing courses, etc. How do I do this?! Thank you!!!