I don’t necessarily think taking a year off and returning to the same environment is a smart choice. For one, I can imagine one of your students still being worried about being behind or dreading the return to the environment. Changing the situation for a year doesn’t really address the root cause.
We chose to keep our one child in the local public school (rather than move to a more affluent/higher rated district) and pull the other out of a ‘prestigious’ private school. They both were able to be more well rounded and in an atmosphere more like the real world.
By being in classes with children whose first language was not English, or students who could not afford to be in ECs because they had to work, my kids saw the whole spectrum of education and achievement, rather than just fighting for a spot in an unrealistically thin slice of high school students.
Both went to well -regarded private colleges and graduated with honors and had great experiences there.
High school should be high school - not a zero sum competition.