OP, I'm just curious and this is no judgement - why did you switch to private? What isn't working? Is it the social aspect? The school culture?

Definitely check you tuition insurance policy. It could be a $30-40k refund if you withdraw now vs nothing if you withdraw in Jan or May.

(I don't know how the time of withdrawal impacts payment.)

Also, if you have tuition insurance (most schools include it automatically or require that you purchase it unless you pay in full up front) you can get 80% back (or 60%??--I'm forgetting what the percentage is) now if you withdraw for any reason but I'm not sure what happens if you attend for a full 1/2 year.

I have kids in a "big3" private and DCPS. I would move her now. Second semester starts for the private on Jan 16th and DCPS on Jan 29th.... so these do not match up. Not sure what you would do for those 2 weeks.

DCPS will figure it out (they're a big district in an international city and are used to random transfers mid year) and it's better to have more time at the destination school than the school she's leaving.

The private school semester doesn't end until exams are done in mid January.
When does public end?

My suggestion would be to let her make the call at semester. Tuition now while a lot is a sunk cost and while I agree Oct is too soon to transition or know, by New Years Id prioritize my kids happiness mental health wise if they were happy at school previously (meaning not a grass is always greener trend but school is just not the right fit)

Good luck either way recognizing how hard it is as a parent to navigate all of this - especially after the past few years…

Is this NCS?

If she’s doing well in a rigorous private, she can catch up with the standard freshman classes in public, no problem. And doing most of her freshman year there will give her a chance to make friends, join teams, etc.

Either go now or wait till the end of the school year. Unless the HS you are moving into switches to new classes in January (not the case in most DC high schools) moving at the end of the semester will NOT be better than now. It will just mean she has missed the first 1/2 of the class instead of the first quarter. Probably best to stick out the year if you can.

I would make her wait the whole year so that she gives her new school a fair shake & so that she doesn't have any issues w/ credits transferring, etc. Make a deal with her that it is entirely up to her at the end of that year.

All that said, obviously the above doesn't apply if there's a severe mental health issue or bullying or similar.

She could feel the same way about the public HS. I agree with PP that October is early to make a big decision.

DCPS high school teacher here. Unless her mental health is greatly concerning and you fear for her safety, wait until semester.

My feeling is that October is too early to make this decision. It takes months to adjust and make friends. I would work on the issues, meet with the school administrators, and try to make a go of it. You’ve paid for the year, and I would try to make it thru as long as there’s no bullying or something terrible like that.

I would do it at the semester end so she can get credit for her courses. She can start new classes at the public school in January

I won't get into details, but we sent my dd to a rigorous private for freshman year, after going to public her whole life. She is miserable. Every day. Grades are good, but she hates everything at the school.

She will transfer to the public HS (where we should have sent her in the first place), but when? with the least disruptions?
She wants to go now, but I think it's easier academically to wait until semester or year-end.

Opinions? Anyone go through this?