Edit: Appreciate all the feedback! Sounds like sticking with 12u next season is the right move before considering skipping 13u or 14u prior to HS.
My kid is 11 and in 6th grade, turning 12 this summer. He currently plays 11u travel and this is his second year with the team. When we originally tried out two summers ago, they provided an age chart which had a bday cutoff of May 1 putting him at 10u so that's what we tried out for. There's only 4 sixth graders on the team and the rest are all 5th graders. The 12u team is mostly all 6th graders.
I feel like he should be playing with his class level and not age and the only way to get him there now is it skip up a level. I'm thinking 12u would be the one to do since he won't be playing LL next year and the 13u team plays in tourneys during the spring while the 12u team is still has a "little league friendly" schedule.
Any downsides to doing this that I might be over looking? We have no interest in doing the whole Cooperstown thing so that's a non-factor.
The biggest difference is for the main tourney org in our state, 13u is 54/80 while 11/12u is 50/70. USSSA bats still allowed at 13u.