WOW on the school choice. WHere I live there are no choices. I'm envious.
HHm 40-45 min commute 1-way, 1.5hrs x2/day. Do you have other kids that this would affect? A friend did this and it was hard on the toddler and on her. I read of someone online who did this and she got a part-time job near the school so she didn't need to travel back and forth everyday in order to make the distance work. But then if you do the part-time option, you'd only be making the drive 2 days per week....hhhmmm
As far as option 2 - even if the school is poorly run, if it's a fantastic teacher, it might not matter depending on how poorly the school is run and if that affects your DC.
Tuition free? WOW!
So, I guess I have nothing really to add lol as I know nothing about upper-elementary montessori.
The good thing is since there is no huge monetary committment, if one option doesn't work, you can always try another.
