I'm A Sad Dad

My oldest boy just started kindergarten and it is not going well.  Up to this point, he had gone 2 days a week to a Christian preschool and the other 3 days, he went to a sitters.  He had been around the same kids for several years.  He played on t-ball teams with several of these kids and these were his buddies.  Well this year he started going to school with my wife.  She teaches in another county from where we live.  All of his friends are staying at the Christian school.  We did not leave him at the Christian school because it is expensive and getting him there and picking him up would be a hassle because we both teach and it is out of the way.  It is just a lot more convenient for him to go with my wife.  My boy loves sports and loves playing but he is having trouble fitting in at his new school.  I keep telling him that he just needs to make new friends and he says he is trying.  My wife can see him on the playground and she says that he is going up to kids and trying to play and they just run off.  Now before you draw any conclusions,he was sort of the leader of his group he had before (if 5 year olds have leaders).  He fit in great before.  Another problem is he is a great kid and if other kids are doing something wrong, he won't have any part of it.  He gets away from it.  Turns out his class is a little wild.  I am sure his not acting up with the other kids is sort of alienating him some.  It is about to break my wife's heart.  She says it is really sad to watch.  You can tell he really doesn't like school anymore.  He use to look so forward to days he got to go to school.  He really isn't happy and it is sad.  We don't know what to do.  We could swing the cost if we decide to send him back to the Christian school.  The dropping off and picking up could become a problem but some how we could make it work.  We just don't know what to do.  I want to do what is best for my son but don't know what is best.  I don't want him to get turned off by school this early on in life but part of me says that things like this are part of life and he needs to learn how to deal with them.