HI Peakmom, welcome.
Can you describe what you mean by "very tired" after school. Is it a go home and nap tired, a go home and melt-down tired, or a quiet post-school lull?
If I understand, you are trying to determine if your dd will be more tired after a shorter window of intense academics or if she will find a longer day, with "mental" breaks for gym or art or music more tiring.
Do you have other children you will need to work around schedule-wise? How involved do you want to be? The private school is a little like homeschooling in the non-academic subjects.
Along with sitting in the classroom you'll want to see how flexible the administration is. Would they grade skip and/or subject accelerate at some point if it is time for more challenge? And, for me, a critical question, have they already done these interventions with another child? If they have never accelerated a child is hard to determine how much resistance you might meet when it is no longer just a theoretical discussion.
Anyway over here we are so busy after school stacking dance, music, enrichment, rehearsal, that we are often running right up until dinner time. How great would it be to have a head start on those activities, and have a group of children who can self-selected on which activities sound fun for them to form a carpool.
And never discount proximity to school. I drive 20 min to school and I will admit it has affected my willingness to participate at the school if it means an additional trip. Driving there a third time to attend a board meeting, or a volunteer meeting, etc is just not high on my list. We are changing schools for next year, and driving distance has been an important consideration.
