Hi Trinity,
I think that it would be better for your son to stay in private school for one more year then go to a public high school after 8th grade. That way, he only has to deal with a new school once.
If he goes back to public middle school, he has to make new friends anyway because of his grade skipping. The friendship of middle school kids usually won't last unless they see each other every day in class. It is like starting over. Then one year later, he moves on to high school, a new environment again. It is a lot of stress for the kids who are not superbly social.
However, if your son felt strongly about going back to public school next year, he may have some good reasons.
My kids grow up in public schools so I don't know much about private schools. From what I heard, I would agree with kimck. Kids can be pigeon holed easily in a small private school. It could be great or it could be really bad. In public school, you have a lot more kids. Your son should be able find someone to be friend with in a class of 400.
At the beginning of freshman year, there is a short time period that kids are open to newcomers. He needs to make some effort to talk to new people and try to fit in. After a few weeks, groups are formed and it would be much harder to break into the circle.
