My son’s current public school is K-12, so he didn’t switch at 9th grade, so we didn’t have to consider two transitions. I I don’t know whether he would have thought about reapplying differently if he had had to switch to 9th grade. He was really disappointed last year, but it was a great chance for him to realize that there are plenty of other kids just as smart and awesome as he is out there. That, in and of itself, was a valuable learning experience. This year, he applied with less enthusiasm than he did last year - I believe as a self-preservation mechanism. He didn’t let himself get his hopes up. As his mom, that was hard to watch. On decision day, his response to his acceptance was still careful. It has taken this past week for his enthusiasm about attending BS to come back. I do think, in the grand scheme of things, the disappointment last year may have been really good for him.
Best of luck in deciding what is best for your DS.