In independent schools the position is as for England and Wales. United States In the United States, ninth grade is usually the first year in high school. In this system, ninth graders are also often referred to as freshmen. It can also be the last year of junior high school. The typical age for U.S. 9th grade students is 14 to 15 years. In the math curriculum, ninth graders are usually taught algebra, but advanced math includes geometry or algebra II. Advanced courses are usually available to ninth graders who are prepared for a more rigorous curriculum, depending on the school district. Some districts across the country allow their 10th graders to take trigonometry or AP Statistics, or even calculus if the district provides, but most often, the highest level available to be taken as a 10th grader is pre-calculus. In the English curriculum, most schools still have the same levels of basic courses, advanced courses, and honors courses. The basic level for a 9th grader is often listed as English I (may also be called English 9). This course will often teach the fundamentals of higher-level literature and how to analyze and respond to such literature. The advanced course is often English II (may also be called English 10) depending on the school district and is usually a genre studies type of English class, but it may instead be focused on one type of literature, such as American literature or British literature. In the social studies curriculum, there is a variety of different courses that may be offered. Most often, though, the course is either a geography class, a government class, or a world history class. In the science curriculum, ninth grade students are required, in most areas, to take biology. Most high school students are required to have one carnegie unit of computer science, one unit of physical education, and one unit of health education to graduate. Students are usually offered foreign language this year. This is often the first introduction of a foreign language to the students. The average cutoff date is generally variable, but on average being somewhere between August 31st and September 30th. See also Educational stage First grade Second grade Third grade Fourth grade Fifth grade Sixth grade Seventh grade Eighth grade Tenth grade Eleventh grade Twelfth grade University Further reading - Advisor: Ronald Styron 9 Secondary education