Best path for rising 9th grader (Bay Area, Fremont)

Pre-College Topics High School Cafe
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Basically, what everyone is saying is: let your kid be a kid and enjoy his time in high school.

You’ve said that your child is very social. That’s a good thing. He will figure out where he fits in.

American high schools are different. Not only do they have course requirements to receive a diploma, but they also have multiple social activities that aren’t established in non-US high schools.

Our high schools have orchestras/marching bands, sports teams, academic and non-academic clubs, themed dances, football games in stadiums with cheerleaders, and multiple drama and theater productions. Some high schools have phenomenal libraries with access to laptops for research and homework. Some schools have tutoring and homework clubs. Some students will have short schedules to accommodate their work schedules.

Some school districts have limited means, so they might not have everything that a large, wealthy, school district may have, but they all have activities.

A high school is an extremely busy place. Some kids bring lunch from home. Some kids buy lunch in the cafeteria. Some kids buy lunch at the carts (if you can call it “lunch”). Some kids with driver’s licenses’ can get permission from the school/district to drive off campus and pick up their lunches.

Your entering freshman will not be the only new kid to the high school.

He will be entering the high school with a number of students who are coming from a number of middle schools.

Let your child be a high school student.

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Yes, and thank you for adding this!

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From what I’ve seen, two years of the same foreign language is very helpful, though if you can take more, do so, as it can often waive the foreign language requirement if it is college concurrent enrollment through a local community college or 4-year university.

Take four years of English (Honors if they want to), and social studies (encourage them to take electives in this subject matter, as it seems that they are interested based on your post. This would also be the place to encourage them to take APs/

They will also need to take 3 to 4 years of science and math. For science, Bio and Chem, with two other sciences of choice (preferably Earth Science and Physics, but they can also take other sciences if they would like). For math, I would recommend this sequence: Alg 1, Geometry, Alg 2, then a fourth math of choice (Trig, Stats, or precalc: Some schools will offer Trig and Stats as one full year course, either before Alg 2 or after. My school offered Trig and stats and Alg 2 as a two-year pathway to the Alg two regents exam (New York students only))).

Most states require PE and health for high school graduation, but colleges usually don’t require them for admission.

If you can have your kid take advanced courses, but only in what they are interested in. NEVER force them to take something they don’t want to, unless it is a requirement. I would let your kid take the lead on what they take in high school.

Encourage, don’t force. Nudge once, if they don’t take or do what you suggest or show any form of disagreement with what they want to take, don’t ask again.
Have a conversation with them, asking these questions:

  • What would you like to do after high school?
  • What classes would you be interested in taking?
  • What do you enjoy doing after school (Have them think about ECs at your school)?

I would come back to this forum, once they are a junior for advice if they need it. Once they are a junior, they should have a foundation started for admission to college, if that is their goal.

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Fremont Unified courses are listed at FUSD High School Course Catalog

Since the student is interested in math, be sure to be familiar with math placement so that the student is enrolled in the appropriate math course, especially if the student did not attend school in the district in 8th grade.

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If the student is placed in the grade level path way (algebra 1 in 9th grade) and is interested in math or math-dependent subjects like economics, it is best to follow one of the pathways that leads at least to precalculus (or calculus if motivated to take the accelerated courses).

English options are regular or honors of English 9.

Foreign language options are Spanish, Hindi, French, Chinese, and ASL (not all are available at all of the high schools). Spanish is available in versions for heritage speakers.

The science progression seems to be physics, biology, chemistry (which can be reordered), with optional AP courses later.

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Note that two years of PE and a semester of health are required for high school graduation.

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Goodness, please don’t do this to your child. This is the worst way to learn to enjoy life as a teen in the US. He can go to camp, or do a sport, or art class, or sailing lessons, or go fishing, or learning to code, or volunteer, or learn to garden, or swim at the local lake/pool/beach, or get a job when he is a bit older, or feed the neighbor’s cat while they are on vacation.

Some expectations are ok, but summer is not for getting ahead academically and I truly feel sorry for kids whose parents make them do this. Summer is (hopefully) for having fun and relaxing and experiencing new things. He might have to do some summer assignments for school, but they generally are not intensely academic.

It seems you have an idea that students must be at the tippy top academically to get into prestigious colleges. The key thing to understand about admission to the most prestigious colleges is that all applicants will be academically well qualified. The things that make a student stand out in US college admissions are typically not academic. They need wonderful teacher recommendations, essays that show who they are, and activities outside of school that show true interest and commitment (everything from Model UN, to lacrosse, to a hobby, to painting, to caring for grandma.) Authenticity is valued.

He doesn’t need to know right now what he wants to study. US students don’t commit to a major until their second year of college (with exceptions such as engineering, nursing, etc…), which is why most students complete courses in many different subjects here. So, for instance, if your son wants to major in math eventually, he will also take classes in history, English, arts, and so forth.

I suggest you encourage him to look at his school’s website for club offerings and whatever other activities catch his interest in your community.

Support, but don’t direct.

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These

are why I asked whether the child had attended 8th grade in the US/CA or abroad. Some placement may depend on previous coursework; while the transcript may simply indicate " math" and “science”, the content may include Algebra1&geometry, or the basic intro classes for Biology and Chemistry, etc. it’ll be important for the parent to be able to describe the classes already taken for proper placement.

If the child was enrolled in a US middle school, the main issue is being placed in the right class. No need to super accelerate. Being on a path to have Foreign Language 4 and calculus senior year (whether they take it or not) keeps most college options open.

Since s/he is interested in social science, if available you might want to suggest AP Human Geography for a 9th grade social science - it’s ok in that it’s not a normal super intense AP but more a “gateway to AP” class to prepare for upper class social APs, so not overwhelming for a freshman. Honors English and Honors Math if appropriate. Foreign language at the correct level. One science, Art (Visual or Performing) and/or Phys Ed/Health. And that’s it. :flexed_biceps:

For extracurriculars, freshmen should try everything they feel interested in, both in school and outside of school. They’ll select when they become Sophomores.
Plus time to sleep, socialize in person, fo outside etc.

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FUSD High School Course Catalog lists AP human geography as being available to 11th/12th grade students at one of the five high schools in the district.

It also appears that 9th grade social studies is normally a one semester ethnic studies course (although it is listed as an “(g) academic elective” instead of “(a) history or social studies” for UC/CSU a-g subject purposes). The other semester appears to be used for health. Both ethnic studies and health are required for high school graduation. Physical education is also required in 9th grade.

So it looks like the 9th grade schedule will likely be:

  • English 9 or 9 honors
  • Math based on placement
  • Science: physics in the universe
  • Foreign language of choice at appropriate level if student already has knowledge
  • Ethnic studies and health
  • Physical education

Note that the above is a full schedule, since the district uses a 6-period schedule.

So it looks like what the OP and student need to figure out with the high school counselor (and perhaps the appropriate academic departments at the high school) are:

  • Choice of English regular or honors.
  • Math placement.
  • Choice of foreign language. If the student has some knowledge of the language already (from middle school or as a heritage speaker), determine the correct placement.
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In the US, students are given the opportunity in 11th grade to take a standardized test that can open doors to college scholarships if they do well. The test is called the PSAT( Preliminary SAT/National Merit Scholarship Qualifying Test(PSAT/NMSQT ).

If your child is a good test taker, you might encourage him to prep for this test. There are full ride and full tuition scholarships available for those that score in the top 1% in their home state.

https://blog.collegexvine.com/national-merit-scholarship-full-ride

Remove the x in the link above.

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