Parent Action Plan: 9th Grade

The beginning of high school is an exciting time. Your teen may be adjusting to a new school, making new friends, and becoming more independent. But they still need your help and involvement. Here’s how you can help them succeed this year. 

Fall 

• Encourage your teen to set goals for the school year. Working toward specific academic goals may help them stay motivated and focused to start strong in high school.  
• Talk about extracurricular activities. Activities can help your teen discover new interests, build confidence, and develop skills.  
• Check in regularly about schoolwork. Staying on top of tests, papers, and assignments will help you catch problems early and give you a reason to celebrate wins together. The habits your teen builds now can open doors: stronger grades, access to more classes, and more choices down the road.  
• Make sure your teen meets with the school counselor. Your teen's counselor is a key partner for class selection, graduation requirements, and college and career exploration. The earlier they connect, the better.  
• Start talking about career ideas with your teen. Encourage them to make a list of interests, talents and favorite activities and start matching them with occupations.  
• Begin learning about college savings plans and the range of available and scholarships. Starting early gives your family more options. 
• Register for BigFuture Live virtual events to get advice from experts on how to help your teen find their fit. 

Winter 

• Explore careers and interests together. When your teen knows what they're working toward, school starts to feel more meaningful. Early exploration builds motivation and connects everyday classes to real-life goals. Encourage your teen to take the Career Quiz to get some ideas. 
• Understand the value of AP courses. AP classes can strengthen a college application, expose your teen to relevant, challenging work, and could help your teen earn college credit before they even graduate. Understanding how AP fits into your teen's plan now helps you make a more informed call before course selection happens. 
• Discuss next year’s classes. Focus the conversation on what classes could be a good fit for your teen based on their interests and what might challenge them. Consider exploring high school classes that colleges look for. 
• Help your teen start a college list. Ask your teen about campus culture and personal priorities that matter most to them when thinking about college. Check out BigFuture to try the College Search Step-by-Step tool together to get tips on starting a college search. 
• Start learning about financial aid. It’s not too early to look into types of aid that could help you cover college costs. Find out how to pay for college and bookmark helpful resources to look at throughout the year. 

Spring 

• Start tracking achievements and activities. Your teen is accomplishing more than they realize. Keeping a simple record now makes it so much easier to build resumes, applications, and scholarship materials later. 
• Help your teen make summer plans that keep them motivated. Summer is a great time to explore interests and learn new skills. Colleges look for students who pursue meaningful summer activities.  
• Grow your teen's circle of support. Trusted adults like teachers, coaches, and mentors can open doors, offer new perspectives, and be a source of encouragement your teen can count on. Other sources could include school counselors and community mentoring programs. 
• Use the Net Price Calculator to get an idea of how the colleges your teen is considering may cost. Learn more about net price and how it can help you estimate your true cost of college. 
• Watch for spring burnout. End-of-year tests, final projects, and activity wrap-ups can pile up fast. Check in with your teen about how they're really doing and build in breaks before summer starts. 

Summer Before 10th Grade 

• Learn about options for life after high school. There's no single right path after high school. Exploring all the options — 2-year colleges, 4-year universities, trade programs, military, and the workforce — helps your teen find the path that fits who they are and where they want to go. 
• Seeing a college campus in person — even a nearby one your teen isn't seriously considering — helps make college feel real and exciting instead of far off and abstract. It's a low-pressure way to get the conversation started. Watch these college visit tips before you go! 
• Continue learning what college costs. You may be surprised at how affordable higher education can be. Start by reading Understanding College Costs. 
• Support your teen in building new skills over the summer. Visit your local library, bookstore, or community center to get ideas through reading, volunteering, or getting creative together. 
• Give your teen room to recharge. Summer's a good stretch for camps, jobs, or programs, but don't let the calendar fill up completely. Unstructured downtime matters too.