The School District of Philadelphia (SDP) today announced it is expanding its strategy for 9th Grade On-Track (9GOT), increasing the number of high schools participating in its 9th Grade Success Network to 32 by the 2026 – 2027 school year. The 9GOT strategy helps teachers, administrators, and staff identify individualized support that incoming ninth graders need most—building relationships, offering additional tutoring, or engaging in peer mentoring—to ensure they can stay “On-Track” to graduate in four years. A potential model for schools nationwide, the comprehensive 9th Grade On-Track strategy has contributed to a 10.2-percentage point increase in the four-year graduation rate in the District over the last seven years[1] while also helping to address inequities among vulnerable student populations.

Ninth Grade is a critical year in a student’s academic trajectory when they are particularly vulnerable to the transition in schools, shifts in relationships, and more rigorous coursework. A first-time SDP ninth grader is considered “On-Track” for graduation if they earn at least one credit in each of the four core areas (English, math, science, and social studies), plus one additional credit from any source—informally known as “Four Core Plus One More.” Students who earn all As and Bs in their “Four Core Plus One More” are considered “Firmly On-Track.”

“School transitions can have a big impact on our students, and data shows the eighth grade to ninth grade transition, specifically, can determine whether students graduate from high school on time,” said Tony B. Watlington, Sr., Ed. “We have to truly surround our students with the support they need, but what every student needs is unique—sometimes they need a space with their peers where they can encourage each other or have extra time to complete their work; other times, it’s needing to know their teacher or administrator sees them and cares about their success. 9GOT is our name for how we make sure we identify, using a combination of data and relationships, what students need and ensure students get that personalized focus at a time when it can make the biggest difference in helping set them up for success. We are so proud of what our teachers, staff, administrators, and partners are doing to support our students—together, we are truly changing kids’ lives and helping to Accelerate Philly.”

The District and its partners, Neubauer Family Foundation, Philadelphia Academies, Inc. (PAI), and the To&Through project from the University of Chicago, provide data-informed resources and training opportunities for teachers, staff, and administrators to help them identify students who could benefit from additional engagement, determine what types of resources would be most impactful, and how to engage students optimally. The comprehensive strategy includes:

• Data Tools— Designed and built for the specific purpose of helping students stay “On-Track,” the District’s data tools help school staff and families better understand a student’s academic performance and quickly determine where interventions may be necessary. These tools include reports that show grades, attendance, test scores, and other inputs. The data helps teachers and families collaborate on what will be most helpful to their student, as well as areas to elevate best practices and opportunities for ninth graders.
• Accessible Information— To make 9GOT information as accessible as possible, individual student summaries, known as Check & Reflect reports, are available for students and families to download in nine languages. These reports are designed to help foster 1:1 dialogue to understand a student’s strengths and challenges and plan concrete action steps for improvement.
• Professional Learning— SDP educators in schools participating in the 9th Grade Success Network receive regular coaching on how to gather insights from the data as well as how to engage educators and students in using these data insights, whether that be through weekly individual mentoring sessions, establishing peer support or tutoring groups, or other techniques. In both the 9th Grade Success Network’s Community of Practice meetings as well as District-wide professional learning sessions for 9th grade leaders, assistant principals and/or educators work across schools to refine their methods of utilizing student data and implementing strategies and interventions to support 9th graders, whether that be through building student relationships, encouraging effective study habits, or celebrating the successes of students who are “On-Track” to graduate with outings and special events.
• Knowledge Management— The District also provides a 9th Grade On-Track Knowledge Guide, hosted on the SDP website, which is available to all SDP educators and can serve as a part of their continual professional development. The Knowledge Guide includes information on how to access and use the key data tools, how to run effective 9th grade teacher team meetings, and an “intervention library.” Many of the staff and administrators who have worked closely with 9GOT have continued to take on larger roles within the school system and bring what they have learned from 9GOT to more teams and students.

PAI works with a cohort of high schools, collectively known as the “9th Grade Success Network” (9GSN). The 9GSN, which started as 5 schools in 2018, has expanded to 13 schools in 2021-22, and 20 schools in 2022-23. The 9GSN has expanded to 24 schools in 2024-25 and will further expand to 28 schools in 2025-26 and 32 schools in 2026-27. Together, PAI and school leaders in the 9GSN review data and early warning indicators, as well as discuss individualized strategies and interventions to get students “On-Track.”

“Our 9th Grade Success Network data coaches are helping schools across the District by meeting them where they are with actionable data used to design strategies to strengthen student outcomes,” said F. Christopher Goins, president and CEO of Philadelphia Academies, Inc. “We have stories of kids who didn’t think graduation was possible but are now excited to matriculate and either enter the workforce or pursue higher education at some of the best universities in the country. This is amazing quantitative and qualitative proof that what we are doing is working, and the 9th Grade Success Network will ensure continued development for school staff as we prepare students for success in high school and beyond.”

The 9GSN now reaches nearly two-thirds of District students, including those who attend Jules E. Mastbaum Area Vocational/Technical High School.

“In the last three years, Mastbaum High School has grown our number of ninth graders ‘On-Track’ for graduation by more than 19 percentage points,” said David Lon, Principal of Mastbaum. “That is incredible—that means so many more students are finding success, feeling the confidence of being ‘On-Track’ for and achieving graduation. More importantly, we have seen scholars invest in their interpersonal relationships, coming together to support each other individually and in groups. That’s the result of a system responding to and caring for the education of the kids in our schools. Participating in the 9th Grade Success Network has been essential in achieving this growth for Mastbaum.”

The current model was initiated in 2018 through a funding and partnership commitment from the Neubauer Family Foundation to PAI and the To&Through Project, which pioneered a similar initiative for ninth graders in Chicago and served as an initial blueprint for the Philadelphia approach. The Foundation has invested $7 million to advance high school success in the community to date.

“Research consistently suggests that ninth graders who end the year ‘On-Track’ for graduation are more than twice as likely to graduate on time, which ultimately sets the foundation for success in college, professional career, and life,” said Joe Neubauer, founder, Neubauer Family Foundation. “We continue to see a measurable impact from this investment in the District that we can all collectively be proud of.”

To learn more about the 9GOT strategy and to find a complete list of schools participating in the 9th Grade Success Network, please visit: [www.philasd.org/9GOT.]

By the Numbers

• The School District of Philadelphia found in its study that 9th graders who end the year “On-Track” for graduation are more than twice as likely to graduate within four years.[2]
• The 9th Grade On-Track strategy has contributed to a 10.2-percentage point increase in the four-year graduation rate in the District over the last seven years[3].
• “On-Track” rates have increased at the 20 participating 9GSN schools in 2023-24 by 7.4 percentage points since 2018-19. During the same time frame, the 9GOT rates declined by 2 percentage points at comparable non-participating schools.
• 9GOT rates for Black and Latino young men, within the 9th Grade Success Network of schools, increased by 13.4 percentage points and 9.6 percentage points, from the 2018-19 to 2023-24 school years, respectively. At the same time, comparable non-participating schools saw the “On-Track” rate for Black young men decline by 5.6 percentage points, and the rate for Latino young men improve by 4.2 percentage points during that period.

 

[1] In 2016-17, the four-year cohort graduation rate in SDP was 66.8%, while the national average exceeded 80%. SDP achieved a four-year graduation rate of 77.5% in 2023-2024.
[2] Wills, Theodore. (2024). Ninth Grade On-Track Rates and Their Relationship to On-Time Graduation for First-Time SDP Ninth Graders in 2016-17 through 2018-19. Philadelphia: The School District of Philadelphia Office of Research and Evaluation.
[3] In 2016-17, the four-year cohort graduation rate in SDP was 66.8%, while the national average exceeded 80%. SDP achieved a four-year graduation rate of 77.5% in 2023-2024.