I would guess that if it's a K-6 with 48 students it doesn't have year groups which are full (unless it's filling from the bottom and doesn't actually have any children in the higher grades yet)?
They cap the school at 48, and they have four classes. They do mixed-grade classes, and apparently it varies each year what gets grouped with what, depending on their mix of kids. They also seem to be very open to kids being in whichever group is right for them. For example, they mentioned that one year 5th and 6th might be grouped together, but there might be a 4th grader in there too.
My first impulse would be to talk to someone at the school about how much you love it
I already blurted that out at the end of the visit, like a big dork! I did have a brief discussion with the K teacher about how I was looking for Fall 2013, and that H is ready academically now, but probably not social-emotionally, and the teacher's response (mulling over concerns about how to balance these things) gave me the impression that they're not horrified by the idea of a parent considering it. I signed up for a classroom observation, so I'll get another chance to test the waters.
I'm thinking, you might even be able to decide to switch her in part way through next year at a point when you're confident she's socially and emotionally ready for K; that might end up being ideal.
I'm thinking along the same lines. If they don't fill their K class (and so far they only have 8 for a class capped at 12), I can contact them in September even, if it seems like H has really blossomed.
Thanks for your thoughtful comments!
