I didn't get into a top-tier school until late high school, and it cost me dearly in lost opportunities later on.
I'm curious why you feel this.
My guess: The Curse of the Gifted, and not being forced to learn self-discipline until a time when it was very expensive to learn.
Although my 8-year-old son likes his teacher, he is frequently bored at school. He attends a high quality suburban public school in the United States. He has a lot of traits in common with LessWrong readers, and we would like advice for what he can do to counter his boredom. Many of you must have found grade school more or less tedious. What were your coping strategies?