As noted in this article, the education system isn't designed for smart kids. One of my hopes for the fallout from COVID-19 is an awakening to the failure of the modern education system.
Segregation of children by age into grades, which in turn segregate knowledge into disparate subjects to be learned in the least-engaging manner possible, is a terrible way to spark curiosity and learning. There are even schools that discourage children from reading above their "grade level" while penalizing those below it with drills that suck any enjoyment out of reading.
The time required by schools is also an embarrassment. They have become day-care centers filled with make-work activities and run according to an arbitrary hourly schedule. The actual study time for home-schooled students varies by student, but is almost always a smaller fraction of the public school classroom time allotment. Studies challenging the benefits of homework have also been floating around the internet. Why is the scarce time of childhood worth so little to these planners?
This shouldn't be a surprise. Public schools are still using the old Prussian model, with a lick.of paint through "reforms" every few years. Students must become productive taxpayers and loyal soldiers in service to the State, not encouraged to become unique, fulfilled individuals. Thinking outside the box is punished.
Aptitude in different subjects varies from individual to individual, and taken as a group, there will always be those outside the bell curve bulge. Schools barely manage to serve the average, and completely fail those outside that band.
These failure are rewarded as administrators and unions demand more tax dollars, though. The root problem isn't with them, it is due to a lack of money! People seem to be under the impression that schools are "under-funded." How do you know what funding level is right? There is no feedback mechanism, and no real accountability. Spending rates on education grow at a rate that far outpace inflation, yet propagandists constantly insist there are perennial "spending cuts."
Politicians wring their hands and proclaim that, "the children are our future," and then insist that the State raise and educated these children in the same model that has been failing for decades. Education has a systemic problem, and reforms cannot fix it. We live in an age where real education is at our fingertips. If you are reading this, you are using an access point to all the knowledge of humanity. Aside from connection fees, it is free. There are incredible video presentations on any subject you can imagine. Project Gutenberg has all the great works of literature that have lapsed out of copyright. There is a wealth of podcasts on history and philosophy. The Mises Institute and the Foundation for Economic Education have e-books and audiobooks galore on economics and politics.
You can break the mold and build something better. Don't forget that local libraries offer access to more recent books, and some are even funded without taxation. A library is traditionally the university of the poor, and as books continue to proliferate, it can also help replace grade school for the independent, too.
Progress takes work. It takes time. It is not easy. Still, if you actually do believe that the children are our future, don't you owe it to them to find something better, and help them become self-directed learners who can pursue their curiosity without the stifling constraints of bureaucracy?