IB works well for a very specific kind of child. My son loves it (except moments like this weekend where he forgot to save the notes for his English IOP.) It is a lot of work but I’ve never felt it was busy work. There is a heavy emphasis on critical thinking, research, writing and oral presentation.
Not every kid does well in the program, of course, but most drop before the pinning ceremony junior year where they become “full” IB candidates. Between freshman year and junior year, we probably lost at least 10% of the class.