<p>Our son’s school discouraged a repeat year, at least in our case. We applied for repeat 9th because we were told the competition to get in for sophomore year was quite intense. Also, coming from a small public, we weren’t sure he would be ready academically. The admission offiice actually called in February with, “Really? Wouldn’t he be happier with kids his own age?” And they assured us that he was a strong candidate. This was great, because as a public school parent bew to the BS world how does one actually know where your kid fits? We didn’t. Coming in as a sophomore was hard for him in all the ways previously discussed, but it really was the best place all around.</p>