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I agree with your protest.
In my country, the reading level for The Outsiders is more appropriate for senior high school students.
I read the book when I was 19, and I was already in college back then.
I'd rather recommend the book for leisure reading than for academic purposes.

Hello! I completely understand you apprehensiveness about wanting your daughter to read this book. She is still young and I assume you would like to keep her innocence as a child. But this book, like many others, were meant to push the lines. At the time of your post, your daughter is just a few years younger than the narrator of the book. Ponyboy is only fourteen and experiences some intense, traumatic things. Life-changing and life-ending types of things. For a fictional book, it is more true in the sense of how dark and twisted people and life are.

I read this book in the 7th or 8th grade. It's a good book. We even watched the movie. Both were good. 5th graders might be too young to understand what the language means, but it shouldn't affect them to much.

This book has all the many qualities that a Kid needs while growing up. It is a recommendable book for Primary school curriculum.

I also read this book in 6th grade as some people above have stated. I was a well-read but really sensitive kid and I honestly did not like the book very much. That being said, I think reading the book in 5th grade is not too terrible. If you can discuss the book with your kid as she is reading it, I think she will be able to understand what is appropriate and what is inappropriate. I'm sure since she is reading it in school these discussions are being had with the teacher as well! I'm sure your daughter's teacher does not want a classroom full of 5th graders learning new swear words either as that would be frustrating for a teacher to deal with. I think this book is overhyped, but if approached well I think a 5th grade class is not too young to be reading this book.