Ah. I’m sympathetic to that feeling, as we also struggled with uprooting our DC and disrupting friendships. We knew the status quo at Waples and we decided to take a chance on moving to HWES because DC needed more acceleration in math, and we were impressed by the HWES admin team and teachers. DC had a friend going to HWES, too, which made the decision a little easier friendship wise. And we have not found the commute to be terribly different.
Does your DC have any friends or acquaintances going to HWES next year? If so, reach out to those kids’ parents to set up a few play dates so your DC has a broader support system when they start next year. Ultimately, it’s one year of school and your DC can go back to Waples the following year if HWES isn’t a good fit.