Why Is Ninth Grade So Important? | Fay School Blog

• MyPortal

• About arrow
  • About Fay School
  • Head of School Welcome
  • Mission & Philosophy
  • Faculty & Staff Directory
  • Fay in Pictures
  • Fay in Videos
  • Calendar
  • Board of Trustees
  • Visitor Information arrow
    • Campus Map
  • Contact
  • Public Events
  • Fay's History
  • Working at Fay arrow
    • Residential Faculty and Staff
  • Diversity, Equity, & Inclusion arrow
    • Equity and Inclusion Plan
  • Facilities Rentals
  • Fay School Blog
  • Health & Safety Protocols arrow
    • Frequently Asked Questions
  • School Store
  • Strategic Thinking
  • Mortimer on the Move!
  • Livestream
  • Educator Professional Development at Fay
• Admission arrow
  • Admission Welcome
  • Applying arrow
    • Applying Grades K-2
    • Applying Grades 3-6
    • Applying Grades 7-9 arrow
      • Applying Gr 7-9 - Day Students
      • Applying Gr 7-9 - Boarding Students
  • Admission Testing
  • Affording Fay arrow
    • Tuition
  • Admission Events
  • Admission Travel
  • Meet the Team
  • Contact Us
  • FAQ
  • Ask a Question
  • Request Information
  • Visiting Campus
• Academics arrow
  • Academics at Fay
  • Primary School arrow
    • Kindergarten
    • Grade One
    • Grade Two
  • Lower School arrow
    • Grade Three
    • Grade Four
    • Grade Five
    • Grade Six
  • Upper School arrow
    • Grade Seven
    • Grade Eight
    • Grade Nine
  • World Languages
  • English Language Program
  • Learning Services
  • Library
  • Distinguished Faculty
  • Secondary School Counseling
  • Effort Marks
  • Serious Fun
  • My Favorite Class at Fay
• Athletics arrow
  • Everyone Plays
  • Athletic Facilities
  • Coaches
  • Physical Education (K - Grade 4)
  • Athletic Programs and Equipment Lists
  • Athletic Training
  • Team Pages
  • Athletic Bulletin
  • Athletics Calendar
  • Directions
  • Facilities Rentals
  • Hudl Livestream
• Arts arrow
  • The Spirit of Creativity
  • Arts Facilities
  • Visual Arts
  • Music
  • Drama
  • Dance
  • Private Lessons
• Distinctions arrow
  • Creativity and Design Program
  • Vox Inventum
  • Circles of Connection
  • Dedicated Service
  • Public Speaking
  • Ninth Grade Program
  • Traditions
  • Character Matters
  • Leadership
  • Global Community
• Student Life arrow
  • Advisory
  • Wellness
  • Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion
  • Dining at Fay
  • Transportation arrow
    • Chestnut Hill/Wellesley/Natick Route
    • Pricing
  • Before- and After-School Programs arrow
    • AM & PM Care (K - Grade 9)
    • Clubs (K - Grade 4) arrow
      • Fay After School Clubs, Winter Term
    • Vacation Camp & Conference Care (K - Grade 6)
    • Friday Night Out
  • Clubs arrow
    • Upper School Clubs
    • After-School Clubs (K - Grade 4)
  • Upper School Trips
• Boarding arrow
  • Why Boarding?
  • Living on Campus
  • Weekends at Fay
  • Meet Our Dorm Parents
  • International Community
  • School Break Programming
  • Five-Day Boarding
  • Boarding FAQ
• Give arrow
  • Ways to Give arrow
    • Planned Gifts
  • The 2025-26 Fay Fund
  • Contact the Office of Advancement
  • Make a Donation to Fay School
• Families arrow
  • Families
  • Resources arrow
    • Orientation and Opening of School
    • School Dress Code
    • Campus Map
    • Daily Arrival and Dismissal
    • Dining Menus
    • Athletic Bulletin
    • Volunteer Background Check Form
    • Supply Lists
    • School Calendar
    • Summer Reading 2025 arrow
      • One School One Book
    • Summer Math Work
    • Resources for Boarding Families arrow
      • 2025-26 Travel Dates
      • Transportation Services to and from Fay
      • Packing List
      • Contact Information
      • End of Year Storage and Shipping Information
    • Outreach Opportunities
  • Welcome New Students
  • Health Office
  • Families Association arrow
    • Fay Spring Gala arrow
      • Fay Spring Gala - Alumni Parents
  • School Store arrow
    • Web Store - Athletics and Alumni
  • Fay Fund
  • Veracross Portal
• Alumni arrow
  • Alumni
• Early Learning Center
• FaySummer
• MyPortal

The Foundation for a Meaningful LifeKindergarten - Grade 9 in Southborough, MA Search

• Families
• Alumni
• Early Learning Center
• FaySummer
• MyPortal

• About
• Admission
• Academics
• Athletics
• Arts
• Distinctions
• Student Life
• Boarding
• Give

K-9 LearningWhy Is Ninth Grade So Important?

Why Is Ninth Grade So Important?

Compared to other stages in childhood development, ninth grade has not traditionally been considered as a pivotal moment. But that’s starting to change, and with increasing frequency, researchers are pointing to ninth grade as a key year for children’s academic growth. In a recent article from The Atlantic titled “Ninth Grade: The Most Important Year,” John Zaff, Director of the Center for Promise at Tufts University, refers to ninth grade as the make or break year. “It’s a time when the cognitive, emotional, and physical are all coming together,” he notes. Zaff adds that this perfect storm of developmental angst is compounded by the fact that kids are entering new school environments with greater autonomy and an increased workload to manage. As if that weren’t enough, the stakes for successfully navigating ninth grade may also be higher than you think. In a study called The Predictive Power of Ninth-Grade GPA, researchers at the UChicago Consortium identified "a strong relationship" between a student’s GPA in ninth grade and his or her GPA during junior year, a critical year for college admissions. The researchers found that the majority of students in the study had almost identical grades for both years. 

Is your child ready for high school?

So how do you know whether your child is equipped to handle the challenges of ninth grade in a high school environment, and what are your options when they need more time to get ready? Fay’s Director of Counseling Services Vi-Anne Brown meets weekly with ninth graders as part of Fay’s Wellness curriculum, and she identifies several developmental benchmarks that parents should look for when assessing their child’s readiness for the rigors of high school. “A child’s ability to self-monitor is hugely important,” says Vi-Anne. “Pay attention to whether your child is able to put technology away at night before bedtime, get homework done without reminders, and whether he or she can stay organized without having someone prioritize assignments for them.” A student embarking on high school should also demonstrate the ability to advocate for themselves, whether that means asking for extra help when material is challenging or seeking an extension on a project after an absence from school. Interestingly, Vi-Anne cautions that maturity can actually be a misleading indicator at this age. While a child may have the social maturity to carry on a conversation with adults, he or she may not have the critical academic maturity to independently make good decisions about how to allocate time.

Consider ninth grade as the “capstone” year of middle school

As a K-9 school, Fay is one of a few independent schools that offers a “capstone” ninth grade program. Experiencing ninth grade as the culminating year of middle school, rather than the bottom rung of high school, can be a great way for students to cement fundamental skills and build the confidence to move on and have a successful high school experience. “The best aspect of our ninth grade program is our blend of guided support and teaching independence,” says former Ninth Grade Dean and History Department Chair John Beloff. “We understand that these students are coming in as eighth graders and leaving as high school students, and we go the extra mile to ensure that they learn as much about themselves as learners as they do about the subject matter.” Programs like Fay’s offer a challenging upper-level curriculum as well as leadership opportunities, curricular choices, and service learning opportunities that are not available to most high school freshmen. Behind all of these opportunities are the built-in support and safety nets that ninth graders, despite their clamor for independence, often need. “In some high schools it’s really the deep end of the pool, and the question becomes whether your child will sink or swim. We don’t do that to our kids,” says John. “Our ninth grade students are learning about their strengths and weaknesses, how they think, and what makes them successful,” says John. “If they can identify that now, they are going to be so much better off in high school, and they will likely be two to three steps ahead of their peers.”

• Back to Blog Home

About Fay School

Fay School was founded in 1866 and is the oldest junior boarding school in the United States. Our 66-acre campus is located in Southborough, MA, just 25 miles from Boston. Our community includes 475 students in kindergarten through grade nine and includes 150 boarders in grades 7-9  from across the United States and over 25 countries. Fay is recognized around the world for its superior educational program, and our graduates are accepted to top secondary schools. Fay's program empowers students to discover their talents, develop their intellectual abilities, establish essential academic skills and knowledge, and define their moral character - all essential to living a life of meaning and making a positive difference in the world.

Do you want to learn more about Fay and stay in the loop regarding our events, news, and more blog posts?

This form needs Javascript to display, which your browser doesn't support. Sign up here instead

• 

ABOUTMISSION & PHILOSOPHY FACULTY & STAFF CONTACTWORKING AT FAY CALENDARBLOGPRIVACY POLICY ADMISSION ADMISSION EVENTS APPLYAFFORDING FAY VISITING CAMPUS PROGRAM ACADEMICS ATHLETICS ARTS BOARDING ENGLISH LANGUAGE PROGRAM SECONDARY SCHOOL COUNSELING DIVERSITY, EQUITY, AND INCLUSION DISTINCTIONS CREATIVITY AND DESIGN PROGRAM PUBLIC SPEAKING CHARACTER MATTERS CIRCLES OF CONNECTION GLOBAL COMMUNITY LEADERSHIP NINTH GRADE PROGRAM DEDICATED SERVICE 48 MAIN STREETSOUTHBOROUGH, MA 01772main number 508-490-8250admission 508-490-8201

• 
• 
• 
•