Clearly teachers in public schools are important factors in helping to provide intellectual stimulation for their students, but they have to concentrate on teaching the fundamentals. As it should be, a large part of their instruction (but not all) is of necessity skewed toward how to help a majority of their students learn and earn good grades in their classes.

The smaller class sizes at boarding schools allow teachers to provide individualized attention and students have more access to their teachers.

While earning top grades is important, we know that a significant part of learning takes place outside of the classroom in extracurricular, social and athletic activities. This is where students can learn to tackle intellectual problems and improve life skills.

On the question of leadership skills, elite boarding schools are organized so that they are able to bring out the best in students. They offer one-on-one mentorship with teachers and coaches that their typically small class sizes offer. The facilities at boarding schools are usually extensive and offer students a number of options for community service, athletics and the arts.

Every student has weaknesses and because of the small class size and student/counselor ratios, top boarding schools are uniquely qualified to help students find those weaknesses (be they social or academic) and master them. Many boarding school teachers and counselors have connections at top colleges which will help your son in the college admissions process — something that public schools normally cannot offer.

In my opinion, the best way to support your son is to place him in an environment with other bright students. While students learn the academic fundamentals from teachers, a vast amount of really important learning takes place outside the classroom, in conversations and social activities with other students.

Because he is unusually intelligent, he needs to be challenged by other smart students. A boarding school will provide an environment where that can happen.