When Alexa Kent and her husband had their fourth child, the Upper West Siders sat down and calculated that they were on their way to spending $1.5 million on schools before their children even got to college.

“Enough already,” Ms. Kent said. They decided to pull their children out of private school and take up residence full-time at their six-bedroom country house in Connecticut, 90 minutes outside of Manhattan. By enrolling their children in the local public school, they saved an estimated $150,000 a year in pre-tax dollars. At a time when the private grade school admission process is more difficult than ever in the city — there is a one in 18 chance of getting in, according to some estimates — and the tuition for grade school often tops that of a college, more families are opting to sell their New York City apartments and move into their country houses.

“I see this happening all the time,” the founder of Manhattan Private School Advisors, Amanda Uhry, said.

In addition to financial considerations, Ms. Uhry, who charges up to $20,000 to coach parents through the private school application process, said some parents turn to the country house option out of desperation. “It’s a saving face thing for parents,” Ms. Uhry said. “If their kid doesn’t get into school, they’ll say, ‘We always planned to move to the country; we really want to live in Litchfield County.'” Rebecca Banerji, a West Sider whose son goes to the Cathedral School, and her husband have decided to move into their country house on the Shoreline in Connecticut. While they loved their children’s school, they realized that life would be easier at their country house, so they plan to move for the next school year.

“Tennis, fishing, and kayaking are our favorite summer activities,” Ms. Banerji said. “In the summer, we do all of them regularly and with relatively little hassle. They can be done in the city as well, but at such an exorbitant price and amount of planning.”

To cover themselves, some parents are putting down deposits at the private schools near their country houses just in case their children don’t get into private schools in the city.

Robbie and Candace Vorhaus made such a move with their children four years ago. When Mr. Vorhaus turned 50, he realized that he didn’t want to work so hard. But with two children in private school — his daughter Molly at Sacred Heart and his son Connor at St. David’s — that was impossible. So, while on a cruise in the Caribbean, he began a discussion with his family. They eventually decided to put their three-bedroom apartment at 1150 Park Ave. on the market and move to their home in Sag Harbor on Long Island.

Mr. Vorhaus said it’s the best decision he has ever made. He sold his public relations business in Manhattan and now works as a management consultant on crisis communications. His wife volunteers on a horse farm, and Molly, 11, and Connor, 14, attend the Sag Harbor public schools.

“It’s the balance that we love,” Mr. Vorhaus said. “Our kids’ friends’ parents are now acting coaches, plumbers, architects, and famous fashion photographers. At Sacred Heart and Saint David’s, there were wonderful families, but if you looked at the e-mail list it was top law firms, investment banks, and financial institutions — they were all New Yorkers who could afford to spend $30,000 after tax per child.”

While many are satisfied with the financial savings of such a move, the decision can be taxing in other ways.

“Financially, it was a good decision,” Ms. Kent said. “Practically, it was a very, very poor choice and I regret it and so does my husband.” In July, after just one year, the two are moving back with their family to their Manhattan apartment, which they had rented out. At issue was the three-hour commute, and rarely being able to spend any time with their children during the week. They are not active in the school community or the community at large to any great extent. They barely know their children’s friends and teachers.”It is worth the $150,000 a year not to have do this commute,” Ms. Kent said. “To be honest, the public schools in Connecticut are fine but, really, they are still only public schools and not as comprehensive as the private schools my kids attended in New York. Which I have to now go bite the bullet and beg to re-enroll them for next year.”

Other families are looking forward to the change. Ms. Banerji said her husband, a devoted tennis player, is excited about not having to spend three hours driving and parking when he wants to play tennis. And to make sure that they have the best of both worlds, Ms. Banerji said: “We will still keep an apartment in the city, and that will become our new ‘country home.'”