<p>I've never heard of anyone taking algebra in 5th grade. I think my kid could have managed in 6th, but I was unable to persuade the school to let him. I did get him in 7th grade honors in 6th which led to algebra in 7th grade. He was one of only three to do it. They all did very well, and I think in reality there were probably a dozen (out of 300 or so) who easily could have. I'm not convinced there were a lot more. About a third of the class does algebra in 8th grade.</p>