I can see how it can be challenge to keep him in engaged. When I was in middle school, I was in the extended learning programs. It was supposed to do the same thing…keep me busy, challenged and engaged so I didn’t shut down and raise hell.

I was in a fairly good public school system in a small college town, but it wasn’t a great program. It wasn’t full time. We only connected with that group a couple of times a week, and then I would go back to my regular classes and be bored.

High school didn’t improve, so my parents sent me off to a rigorous college prep school. Expensive, but well worth it. Fortunately I had a lot of scholarships and some financial aid.

Is there any after school activities you can get him involved with? If he’s not getting stimulated in school, maybe there’s a way around it? Is he old enough to tutor other kids? I found art classes kept me centered, so my parents signed me up for a lot of after school and weekend workshops for art. Those classes are probably what got me through middle school on the honor roll and kept me from getting bored.