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I don't know what your situation is, but this is my experience. I have a very, very bright son (now an adult). He failed often. It was very frustrating, because he knew what he had to know to pass tests, but never seemed to get it on paper, didn't turn in his homework, etc.

He thrived in a private school where teachers found a way to challenge him. Public schools are aimed at the middle of the road student. Since there is no mandate of law to see that a gifted, but unmotivated child has an education appropriate to his/her needs (unlike a handicapped child where such an education is mandated by law), you are on your own to find a solution.

He thrived in a school where the students each moved at their own pace through the coursework (now known in some areas as PACES). My son needed to move a lot faster than the average student in order to be engaged - he had virtually dropped out of school by the 2nd or 3rd week of the term, because he'd already read and absorbed the text books and then was simply bored silly for the rest of term.

The PACES program has also proven to be helpful for children with learning disabilities, attention disorders/issues, etc., because the child has more individualized attention and the teachers are not focused solely on moving 30 students through a course at a pre-prescribed pace.