n7m13c19 I've been there with my oldest...there is an awkward adjustment in the 12U division as some kids hit puberty faster than others. One fix might be adjusting the age groups down a year. This would bring in a few more younger kids. It would also keep the 7th & 8th graders in one class, for the most part anyway, and separate them from the 6th and 9th graders. In this scenario your age groups would be U7, U9, U11, U13, and HS. The unintended consequences of this move would hurt a 9th grader that isn't ready for the HS division and might even push some older 8th graders into the HS division.

Any changes made need to be evaluated for the impact on all of the kids.