9th Grade

Ninth grade is the ninth post-kindergarten year of school/education. Usually, it is the first year of upper secondary school and the students are 14 to 15 years of age.

In the United States, ninth grade is usually the first year in high school (called "upper secondary school" in other countries). Grades are used in determining a student’s GPA, and become part of a student’s official transcript. Future employers or colleges may want to see steady improvement in grades and a good attendance record on the official transcript. Therefore, students obtain much more control of their education and may even choose their core classes.

Ninth graders are also sometimes referred to as freshmen.

In the mathematics curriculum, ninth graders are usually taught Pre-Algebra or Algebra I. Advanced courses (such as Geometry in the US) are usually available to ninth graders who are prepared for a more rigorous curriculum, depending on the school district. In some cases, the upcoming ninth graders may have taken Algebra I in 7th, and Geometry in 8th, therefore in 9th grade, they take Algebra II. Some districts across the country allow their 9th graders to take Trigonometry or AP Statistics, or even Calculus if the district provides.

In the English curriculum, ninth graders are taught the basic fundamentals of Literature and touches the fundamentals of speech and debate. They may also read Romeo and Juliet, by William Shakespeare as it correlates with current teenage life and issues.

In the social studies curriculum, ninth graders are typically taught geography, government, and history. In most areas, students are open to taking more advanced history courses like world history or U.S. history with the consent of the pupil's previous social studies teacher.

In the science curriculum, ninth grade students are required, in most areas, to take earth science. It is often a pre-requisite for most other lab sciences available at the high school level, and is often a requirement for graduation. In some cases, the upcoming ninth grader maybe choose to take the tenth grade course, Biology I.

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