It is amazing what can be done when the government is not involved. Your third-grader is a prime example. He actually gets to spend more time studying and less time being indoctrinated into multiculturalism. Wow!
I received a minimum of 20 long division problems to be solved on my weekend. Calculators were not a factor. I did this because I wanted to do it right. (I didn’t enjoy the fact that Lost in Space was on and I might miss the plot!)
His daddy is an engineer, so maybe the brains come naturally to him :) Although he gets the spelling (a 99 average right now) and reading skills from Mom. This school pushes the basics from K-2 and then from 3-6 (the highest grade level before they move to the junior high), they push them pretty hard academically.
My husband was a poor student (public schools) not because he was stupid (he actually averaged close to 4.0 in his engineering courses) but because he was not challenged. The reason we chose the school we did was their high academic standards—dh insisted on it. Not to mention the mix of discipline and a loving Christian environment where they are taught to serve something greater than themselves.
BTW, the most popular extracurricular (non-sport) activity at the school is the Battle of the Books, which is open to the 4-6 grade levels. Almost 1/2 of the students in those grades participate (our 6th grade daughter is in her 3rd year of it), and they have 11 teams. They place high in the state competitions—in the top five every year.