@Bigredmed – I was Oct. baby and so always young for my grade/year in school. Started college at 17, moved to the big city and got my first full time job when I was 21, etc.
I used to always joke with my husband that somewhere along the line I was due a ‘sabbatical’ year off b/c I was a year ahead of everyone. I’m 50+ now and it still hasn’t happened. Maybe I can justify retiring a year early?!!?
My D started K at 4 years 9 months. She is now about to graduate from HS and she has always been glad we did.
Interestingly, five kids in my D’s small magnet program also started K at 4 years old.
On the other hand, I would never have started my younger child early because they were more attached, more sensitive etc.
D1 is a Dec baby so she was one of the older ones in class. I think maybe grade & HS was a bit too easy for her, and adjusting to college was hard.
D2 is an Aug kid and just made the cut-off, so so she’s one of the youngest (as well as smallest) in school. I think she works harder and has better study habits.
Of course these may just be their innate personality traits anyway.
There will always be a 12 month age spread for kids. Holding back is not something the top students benefit from- they need to be stimulated. Some elementary teachers like having older kids for a given grade- at those ages they show more maturity. But it is a disservice to the kids. The parents who wait figure an average trajectory, not like in our family. Sometimes maturity comes with the expectations for it.
Our gifted son with a fall birthday went early (got tested for it). Then compressed a grad. But, special case as being gifted means being a misfit for age and grade. It would have been a lot easier for him if there had been greater numbers with his ability- but the Bell curve tails are the nature of things.