Ninth-Grade Academies: Keep Kids in School

Because ninth grade is such a tough year for many students, some school districts have created special academies or other programs to provide special attention to students in the first year of high school. Studies show that ninth-graders have the most discipline incidents and retentions, and are most likely to drop out. In this paper, the author describes the programs at several ninth-grade academies in Georgia, Pennsylvania, Tennessee, New York, and North Carolina.