9th & 10th Grade Planning

Many students mistakenly believe that the early years of high school are not as important as junior year and senior year when applying to colleges. But this is incorrect! Your performance in the ninth and tenth grade is important because it represents almost two thirds of the academic record that college admissions officers see when you apply to college. When students apply to college, we send a high school transcript which lists all of your classes and your final grades from 9th, 10th and 11th grade. We also include first term grades of senior year. College admissions officers are able to see if your grades have been consistent throughout high school or if you have gradually improved your grades, also known as the "late bloomer effect."

Equally important as grades, however, is the level of the classes you are enrolled in. Some students are enrolled in all honors classes, all college preparatory classes or a combination of both honors and college preparatory classes. The Guidance Department encourages students to take pursue the most rigorous program they can while achieving successful grades. We frequently speak to parents and students about receiving "C’s" in honors classes and while it may not be a grade that a student is accustomed to receiving, it is nevertheless an acceptable grade in a demanding course and colleges will consider this when reviewing your transcript. In addition, all students are encouraged to take five major subjects: English, math, social studies, science and a language. Most four year colleges require a minimum of two years in the same language and recommend three years or more.

Finally, another reason why your grades and course selections are important in ninth and tenth grade is because we use your final grade in all academic classes to compute your cumulative weighted GPA. Your weighted GPA is computed at the end of 9th, 10th and 11th grade by using a mathematical formula that considers final grade, number of credits and level of course.

Ninth and tenth grade is important and it is our hope that students take a challenging program and achieve academic success. We believe that the best preparation students can do for college during 9th and 10th grade is to earn the best grades they can in their classes.