The ninth grade, difficult for most students, is particularly hard for students who are at risk. Further, they are in search of ways to demonstrate maturity in spite of their class position. Students most likely to drop out before completing the ninth grade are those who have had attendance, discipline, and academic problems in the past, possibly from the beginning of their school careers. Some are simply waiting until their 16th birthday so they can legitimately leave. Even students who move on to the tenth grade and beyond are more likely to drop out before graduation if they had an unsuccessful ninth grade year.
Schools can help retain at risk ninth graders through a variety of policies and practices.
Earlier retention exacerbates a student's tendency to drop out. All of the suggestions for easing the transition to ninth grade presented above have been successfully tested in school districts around the country. Their attractiveness is enhanced by the fact that all of them can be implemented without requiring vast changes in the basic structure of the high school. New York State School Boards Association, 1985. Clark, T.A. and R.A. Irizarry.