Co-op situations for older students

My oldest child is going into ninth grade this coming school year. He’s a very diligent, self-motivated learner and frequently does more than I ask of him in the area of school work. This year he has been expressing the desire for the camaraderie, external accountability, and relationships that could come form being a part of a co-op. We do have a very good co-op in our area, but it’s rather “schoolish” and very much not CM orriented. It’s fine, and they do things very, very well there, and I know that the classes he could take would be ones that we would try our best to do well here at home next year anyway (Algebra 1, Biology, Writing, foreign language..), but I’m a little panicked at the loss of flexibility that will necessarily come with making a big move like this, as well as the loss of his free afternoons.

I have five younger children who would not be going to co-op, so things would largely stay the same for them here at home, and maybe the transition is natural once we move into this new stage of older kids? I would be happy to keep all of my little chicks around me for morning circle time forever. 🙂

Anyway, any wisdom that you wiser moms with older children might have would be so appreciated. I do very much want to give him these challenges that he’s looking for, but I also want to protect the very good rhythm we have here, too.