My school system had a gifted program in elementary and middle school, but did not allow skipping grades. The faculty valued socializing with peers of similar age and physical development over similar mental development. Furthermore, there was no gifted program in high school, and most AP courses were for juniors and seniors only.

The overall impression was the system included both the regression of the gifted students and progression of the special needs students until they were mixed back together into the general population - to the detriment of both groups.

I was a gifted student, and that system set me up for failure precisely because it presented no obstacles. It reinforced that I was uncared for by the system, so much so that I flunked out.

In a mixed classroom approach, I'd at least emphasize allowing students to skip grades when warranted, social issues with peers be damned. While we're at it, there needs to be more mental health services for those in need, especially in the extremes of the school population.

Granted I may be a fringe case - a gifted student from a poor and broken household (mom freqently hospitalized for mental health issues, and dad was in a nursing home.) I would've loved to become an astrophysicist or something similar growing up. Instead, I'm just trying to cope with my own mental health issues and barely surviving, hardly living after my terrible school years.