View the Counselor presentation - Incoming 9th grade Middle School Student PowerPoint Presentation  

While there are options for credit retrieval, they are typically expensive and inconvenient. It is important for students to pass the Washington State History graduation requirement in middle school. For students who failed classes like Spanish 1, Algebra 1, or Geometry they would repeat the course in 9th grade, or take summer school, or complete an accredited, pre -approved online course.

We ordinarily do not recommend that students take summer classes to advance their math pathway. We do not want to hold your student back from advancing in their course work, but at the same time we want to make sure they are prepared for the next level. If a student is passionate about accelerating over the summer, online Geometry would be the best online option since it is less connected to the following math courses. However, we especially give caution against taking Algebra 2 or Precalculus over the summer (unless the student is retaking the course). These online math courses cram a year's worth of curriculum into a very short timeframe during the summer. The online curriculums also do not fully align to our school's curriculum, so there is a discrepancy in which skills are covered and at what depth. Calculus heavily relies on skills learned in Precalculus and Precalculus (UW Precalculus or Math Analysis) heavily relies on the skills learned Algebra 2. Students that take these courses over the summer will have gaps in their background knowledge and will need to be prepared to seek extra help during the subsequent math course. This requires the student to be very motivated and willing to put in extra effort to keep up with the following math course. We have seen students really struggle to keep up and end up doing poorly, requiring them to repeat the course.

For more information about Out of District Credit Information click here.

HIGH SCHOOL CREDIT FOR COURSES TAKEN BEFORE ENTERING 9TH GRADE: (Class of 2026 and beyond)

Students who complete and pass high school level courses taken before attending high school shall automatically be given high school credit, which shall be applied to fulfilling high school graduation requirements. At the request of the student and the student’s parent/guardian, high school credit earned before high school may be transcribed with a non-numerical grade. A non-numerical grade will not be included in the student’s high school grade point average calculations. High school credit earned prior to high school and transcribed with a non-numerical grade will apply to fulfilling high school graduation requirements. A student and the student’s parent/guardian must inform the school before the end of the 11th grade if they do not want credit for the course(s) taken before attending high school or if they want to request that credit be transcribed with a non-numerical grade.

Math, World Language, Music, Marketing and Engineering. 9th grade core block of English, History, and Science and PE/Health are just 9th grade classes.

Yes, any student can request, but it is recommended that they earn a B or better in 8th grade English.

Absolutely. They will have the exact same opportunities either way.

For the Class of 2026 the Social Studies requirement will be:

World History 1 & Civics or
Honors World History 1 & Civics

*English and Social Studies is a 2 period block and both courses are either on-level or both are honors
 

In the vast majority of cases, students progress from 8th grade math to Algebra 1, from Algebra 1 to Geometry, and from Geometry to Algebra 2. Incoming 9th grade students can choose between Biology in the Earth System or Honors Biology in the Earth System.

Math Pathway for 2022-23- click here

Science Pathway for 2022-2023 - click here

While a very small number of students do take an additional science course along with Biology in the Earth Systems in 9th grade, we strongly recommend that students wait until 10th grade to enroll in two science courses at the same time. Taking other graduation requirements in 9th grade leaves more room in the schedule for science classes in later years. Students with a passion for science may take two or more science courses in their 10th, 11th, and/or 12th grade years. *They must also meet any pre-requisites for the additional science class.

For the rare students who do enroll in two science classes as freshmen, the recommended combination is Biology in the Earth Systems and Chemistry in the Earth Systems

Yes, LWSD Summer School offers math classes for students who want to accelerate to the next level.  During registration students should register for the next math level in their sequence and then their course will be changed in the fall if they complete a summer math course.  Check back here for LWSD Summer School accelerated math offerings https://www.lwsd.org/students-families/summer-school.

Yes, the Health and Fitness class serves as a foundational class for a student's Eastlake experience. This class helps students develop study skills and learning strategies such as time management and goal setting. Health and Fitness will also help students develop the knowledge and skills to successfully navigate life in high school and beyond. Students explore topics such healthy relationships and stress management.

Both Health and Fitness also remain graduation requirements. Although we have a way to excuse students from the PE, Health is a requirement, and in future years it will not be offered at Eastlake outside of Grade 9 Health and Fitness.

1.5 PE and .5 Health credits is required for graduation. Students should plan to take the yearlong Health/PE class (.5 PE and .5 Health credit) in their 9th grade year. The options for remaining PE credit are to A) take PE classes at EHS, B) Take the LWSD PE Knowledge Assessment C) Submit a Fitness Plan. Information on options B & C can be found on the district PE assessment page here and are not available until 11th grade year.

Currently EHS offers:

American Sign Language 1, 2, 3 (this will continue to grow with more levels each year if there is the need and desire from students)

Spanish 1, 2, 3, 4 Honors, 5 Honors, AP Spanish Language, Spanish for Heritage Speakers.

French 1, 2, 3, 4 Honors, 5 Honors, AP French Language

Japanese 1, 2, 3,4 (this will continue to grow with more levels each year if there is the need and desire from students)

LWSD - World Language Credit Options - here.

All situations will be handled on a case-by-case basis.  Placement will be based on the level of literacy, which is determined by the World Language Department.  Heritage speakers are encouraged to take upper level language classes during their high school career.

For heritage speakers of Spanish, there will be a Spanish for Heritage Speakers class offered for the 2022-2023 school year.  This class is designed for heritage speakers of Spanish and can accommodate students from a wide range of backgrounds, from those who can comprehend Spanish but are not able to speak fluently, read or write, to those who are more proficient and/or literate in Spanish.

Please contact Alicia Egashira AEgashira@lwsd.org if you have any questions.

Here is a list of 9th grade elective available at Eastlake:

Introduction to Engineering Design
Introduction to Business & Marketing
AP Computer Science Principles
Spanish 1 or 2 & Spanish for Heritage Speakers
French 1 or 2
Japanese 1 or 2
American Sign Language 1
Photography 1
Art Foundation
2D Art
3D Art
Drama 1 & 2
Guitar 1 & 2
Piano 1 & 2
Orchestra
Concert Band
Chamber Choir
Walking & Yoga/Advanced Walking & Yoga (yearlong)

Please check the course catalog for prerequisites.

Yes, the requirement for 9th grade Fine Arts courses is that they are 1 year long. Click here for the Fine Arts Pathway diagram.

Currently EHS offers:

• Music -  *Piano 1 & 2, *Guitar 1 & 2, Orchestra, Concert Band and Concert Choir.
• Symphonic Band, Wind Ensemble, Jazz Band, Orchestra 2 (Sinfonia), Orchestra 3 (Chamber), Chamber Choir by audition only.
• Fine Arts - Art Foundation, 2D Art, 3D Art,  *Drama 1 and     Drama 2
• Technical Education *Photography 1

* Grade 9 students wanting to take Drama, Piano or Guitar must sign up for semester 1 & 2.

Yes! Freshman can audition for Wind Ensemble/Symphonic Band. These auditions will happen in March. They should register for Concert Band. If they make it into Wind Ensemble/Symphonic Band we will have their schedule adjusted.

Jazz band auditions happen in September shortly after school starts. Please sign up for Concert  Band and you will be notified about jazz band auditions.

Yes! Freshman can audition for Chamber Orchestra/Sinfonia. These auditions will happen in March/April. They should register String Orchestra. If they make it into Chamber Orchestra/Sinfonia we will have their schedule adjusted.