[TheNewsIsHere]

Typically the accelerated/gifted and talented/special education system in public education is designed to prevent students from being variously bored or overwhelmed, leading to poorer outcomes in either direction. It isn’t designed as a competitive construct.

AP courses notwithstanding. AP courses were insanely competitive and speaking as someone had been all over the map in my K12 years (AP, accelerated courses, early foreign language, and a touch of remedial relative to grade level) the students in AP were mainly in competition with themselves. That however is just personal anecdote.

[itishappy]

I'm sure it's not designed this way, but the end result is still a competition for resources. Schools aren't accelerating their whole class.

I also suspect that most kids, particularly grade schoolers, aren't aware they're competing in this sense. Parents are a different story.