<p>Other parents will not have to bear the consequences of choosing School A. Your daughter will.
Your reasoning is sound. Do what’s good for your daughter. Don’t sacrifice her to “others” who won’t have to pay the consequences of what <em>they</em> think is best for her. You’re her parent.</p>
<p>You can just say “The commute is not worth it and School B is sufficiently challenging.”’</p>
<p>As for “lesser Ivies”… O_o Seriously. There’s a world outside of the Ivy League. If that’s the kind of thinking at School A, then you do your daughter a huge additional favor by choosing School B: allowing her to find herself and figure out what colleges will be the best “fit” rather than choosing what will impress her friends’ parents…</p>