<p>My two kids had two different experiences with this as well. Oldest took regular 8th grade math, Algebra 1 in 9th, I think geometry in 10th, honors Algebra 2 in 11th and AP Stats in 12th. At a parent-teacher conference in 11th grade, her Al 2 teacher told me she was at a disadvantage because although she was doing “OK” in the honors section, she was missing a whole chunk of some basic algebra skills because the HS version of Al 1 is not as comprehensive as the 8th grade version! I guess the thought is that the 8th graders who take Al 1 are stronger students, but it really puts the late bloomer, like my oldest, at a disadvantage. So, when my youngest was recommended for Algebra in 8th grade, we put her in it. She wound up doing Geometry in 9th, Al 2 in 10th, AP Stats in 11th, and pre-cal (honestly can’t remember if it was honors or not) in 12th. It never would have occurred to me to ask about any differences between the 8th and 9th grade algebra curricula–not only is it the same district, but we have one head of the math department that covers both the MS and HS. </p>