Ninth grade

In Afghanistan, ninth grade is the third year of secondary school, which starts in seventh grade.[1] Under the 2004 Constitution of Afghanistan, education up to ninth grade (about age 15) was compulsory.[2][3] In 2013, it was noted that students were generally gender-segregated by ninth grade, with female students taught by female teachers.[4]

In 2021, the Taliban abolished the 2004 constitution and banned female students from attending secondary school.[1][5] In March 2022, the Taliban announced that secondary schools would reopen for girls but closed them again very soon after.[6]

In most of Canada, Grade 9 is either the last year of junior high school or the first year of high school depending on province and students are typically about age 15.[7] In Quebec, however, Grade 9 is the middle year of its five-year high school program.[8]

In Denmark, grade 9 (around age 16, also called form level 9) is the final year of compulsory education, and grade 10 is optional.[9][10] Public comprehensive schools up to grade 10 are called Folkeskole.[10] Grade 9 subjects include Danish, English, Christian studies, history, social studies, mathematics, geography, biology, physics/chemistry and German and French as electives.[11] Students must sit compulsory school-leaving exams at the end of grade 9, and must also complete a mandatory project assignment during the year.[11]

After grade 9, students have the option of attending general or vocational upper secondary education for two or three years until they are around 19.[9][10]

In Finland, ninth grade is the last year of compulsory schooling.[12] Students are generally aged around 16 when they finish 9th grade.[13] They can then go on to attend vocational or academic high schools (generally for 3 years).[14][15]

In Germany, grade 9 (about age 15) is generally the last year of lower secondary school and the end of compulsory full-time education. Qualifications gained in this year will determine the student's eligibility for academic or vocational upper secondary school.[16]

Following the National Education Policy 2020, ninth grade in India is the first year of high school (generally ages 14 to 15).[17][18][19] The intention of the new policy for ninth and tenth grade is to encourage multidisciplinary study, with students having greater flexibility and choice of subjects.[17] Generally ninth grade is the preparatory year for secondary school certificate exams in tenth grade.[17][19] Schools are affiliated with various curriculum and education boards which set required subjects based on the national curriculum;[19] for example, students attending CBSE schools must take five compulsory subjects (English, Hindi, mathematics, social sciences and science) and may take up to four electives.[20]

In Kuwait, ninth grade is the last year of middle school.

In Mexico, ninth grade is the last year of middle school. The students are aged 14–15.

In Norway, 9th grade is the middle grade of middle school, "ungdomskolen". Students are 14–15 years old.

In Pakistan, 9th grade has great importance as it is the base of higher education and is part of high school. At this level, students are allowed to choose subjects of their will. These subjects are Biology, Computer Science and Arts. The compulsory subjects include Math, Urdu, English, Islamiyat and Pakistan studies. Marks of grade 9 are half of collective 9th and 10th marks.

In the Philippines, Grade 9 or Junior Year (Filipino: Baitang Siyam) is the third year of Junior High School and High School curriculum. Topics mainly discussed are the following subjects like, for the major subjects are Geometry (Math in Grade 9), Chemistry, Physics, Biology and Earth Science (Science in Grade 9), Filipino subject with Noli Me Tangere, Anglo-American Literature (English) and Philippine Economical Study (Political Studies in Grade 9). Values Education, MAPEH (Music, Arts, Physical Education and Health), Computer and TLE (Technology and Livelihood Education) are some of the minor subjects. Students are usually 14–15 or 13-14 years old.

It was formerly named as 3rd Year or Year III (Filipino: Ikatlong Taon) until it changed to Grade 9 on June 2, 2014 upon the start of School Year 2014-2015 due to the implementation of the K-12 curriculum.

In Portugal, the ninth grade (nono ano, 9º ano) is the last year of the three-year 3º Ciclo do Ensino Básico that also includes the seventh grade and the eighth grade. It is followed by the tenth grade, the first year of the three-year Ensino Secundário. At the end of the ninth grade, students must take national final exams (Provas finais nacionais).

In Sweden, ninth grade is the last year of högstadiet (Middle school). The students are usually between 15 and 16 years old. That makes ninth grade an important grade for almost every student.

In the United States, ninth grade is usually the first year in high school. In this system, ninth graders are also often referred to as freshman. It can also be the last year of junior high school. The average age for the U.S. 9th grade students is 14 to 15 years.[21][22] The University of Chicago Consortium on School Research identified in 2017 that passing ninth grade courses is a predictor of high school graduation.[23][24]

In the math curriculum, ninth graders are usually taught algebra, or if they have already taken algebra at a lower level may take geometry or more advanced algebra. Advanced courses are usually available to ninth graders who are prepared for a more rigorous curriculum, depending on the school district.[25] Some districts across the country allow their 10th graders to take trigonometry or AP Statistics, or even calculus if the district provides, but most often, the highest level available to be taken as a 10th grader is pre-calculus.

In the English curriculum, most schools still have the same levels of basic courses, advanced courses, and honors courses. The basic course for a ninth grader will often teach the fundamentals of higher-level literature and how to analyze and respond to such literature. More advanced courses may be offered depending on the school district and may focus on one type of literature, such as American literature or British literature.

In the social studies curriculum, there are a variety of different courses that may be offered depending on school district. For example students may take a geography class, a government class, or a world history class.[25]

In the science curriculum, ninth grade students are required, in most areas, to take biology. But they can take different courses before they take Biology such as Integrated Science.

Most high school students are required to have one carnegie unit of computer science, one unit of physical education, and one unit of health education to graduate. Students are usually offered foreign language this year. This is often the first introduction of a foreign language to the students.

• Educational stage
• First grade
• Second grade
• Third grade
• Fourth grade
• Fifth grade
• Sixth grade
• Seventh grade
• Eighth grade
• Tenth grade
• Eleventh grade
• Twelfth grade
• University

• Peasant, Eddie (2006). Crossing the bridge from eighth to tenth grade: Can ninth grade schools make it better?.
• Krone Phillips, Emily (2019). The Make-or-Break Year: Solving the Dropout Crisis One Ninth Grader at a Time. New Press. ISBN 9781620973240.

• The Atlantic - Ninth Grade: The Most Important Year in High School (2013)
• Gates Foundation - Why Is Ninth Grade a Critical Time for Students? (2017)