Another perspective:
My family has been pushing for in-person instruction for both my kids. We will bend a ways to get that for them over computer instruction or independent study. Much of that it relative to my own kids' needs, but my husband and I both feel that chalk-board and pencil and paper instruction is of a fundamentally different quality once you get to the levels of pre-algebra.
I did the extended bus trip for jr high math from my elementary school and again for high school from the jr high. Both experiences were amongst the most positive in my school career to that point. The time spent on the bus was spent getting to know the bus driver (who was a hoot, and of a socio-economic background not otherwise seen in my community - giving me a huge education right there) and getting my homework done. Indeed, I think I brought home geometry homework only a handful of times because I did it on the bus.
In class I was pretty isolated from the social dynamics of junior high. It's math class after all. There wasn't much chit chat (much of this might have been a consequence of the teacher's style), and if anything, I was respected as the kid who generally knew the answer and understood it.
DD's experience in math with older kids last year was similar (but done at her elementary school). She found genuine friendships at school for the first time in that class. We're thankful that next year she can walk the 1 block to the middle school for math, and she won't need a bus until 8th grade. We would still choose a bus + middle school over an online class for her.
