NC Graduation Problem Starts Early

RALEIGH — Ninth grade is a make-it-or-break-it year for high school students, according to the National Association of Secondary School Principals. Kids who skip classes, flunk courses, break school rules, or get suspended often don’t recover from the “ninth grade slump.” Instead, they contribute to the troubling number of high school students who simply “can’t hack high school” for four long years. In North Carolina, school officials have become increasingly worried about the number of ninth-graders who don’t graduate on time.