@MiamiDAP some families don’t have the financial ability to “choose” a private HS like you did…even with scholarships for the HS. And be,I’ve it or not…some folks are perfectly happy with their public high school. The OP just wants to be able to give suggestions about the differences between MS and HS.
Thank you, so much, everyone, for this incredible feedback. I am definitely going to incorporate this advice. You have given me so many great ideas, and I know it’s going to make a difference for the audience. I’m really grateful!
I also want to make sure I’ll be addressing the specific questions the parents of 8th graders have right now. I’m sure the things that kept you up at night shifted, from 8th grade and into those high school years. Does anyone remember the kinds of specific worries you had leading up to this transition into high school? (I don’t want to leave them with unanswered questions that they might have in their minds!)
Clearly remember that at the end of jr high, we were the big kids, the older ones, top of the heap (for me, middle school ran to 9th.) I was worried moving to the hs would mean bottom rung, starting all over, a new hierarchy.
<@californiaa, that is a poor counseling department your school has.>
We have one counselor per, approximately, 200 kids. In my experience, counselors are mainly occupied with the “struggling” kids, difficult cases on the edge of dropping out. They don’t really care about kids who want to take as many APs as possible. It’s the responsibility of parents 
Several kids, including one of my own, have said that their main regret was not joining more activities as freshmen. I would also caution 8th graders to pay attention to this before they leave middle school. Some of our high school ECs have tryouts in the spring or required meetings over the summer, and these were not always well publicized at the middle school. I wasn’t aware how prevalent this was. So the 8th graders who figure they will show up in high school and then join some activities can find themselves shut out of things they wanted to do.
@californiaa, our middle school has less than one counselor per 200 students and they meet with every 8th grader to review the 4 year high school program.