Students respond better to high school when they have a clear picture of what to expect and when they have friends already succeeding both academically and socially at that level. As a result, some districts offer programs through which freshmen and sophomore students act as mentors to eighth graders. Mentors keep in touch through email, arrange for tours of the high school and sometimes allow younger students to shadow them for a day or two. When the younger students enter high school, their mentors still provide advice, tutoring and friendship. If no mentor programs exist in your district, talk to other parents and middle school teachers about starting one. At the very least, approach high school students you know and see if they would spend some time with younger students on campus.
Students who have clear pathways of communication with their parents have a much easier time transitioning from middle to high school. Communication is sometimes easier when parents have a better idea of what their children experience each day. Help keep communication open by visiting campus with your child soon after freshman year begins. Meet each of your child's teachers and establish a standard time each day for talking to your child about what's going on in her life.
Socialization is especially important for children making the transition to high school. Most high schools are larger than middle schools, and the influx of additional students means that the social structure of student cliques changes. Therefore, it's healthy for students to participate in established social groups outside classroom culture. These could take the form of sports teams, dance studios, arts associations or community environmental groups. All of these can provide children with an important sense of personal identity and support that are necessary and healthy during the transition to high school.
Some schools have special support academies specifically for freshmen students. For example, the Success Academy at Edison High School in Philadelphia is in an isolated wing of the main high school. Ninth graders wear uniforms and are divided into teams on which all the students share a specific group of teachers. Such programs primarily aim to help students in low-income, high-minority population districts who enter high school unprepared to meet the academic demands. They receive intensive, one-on-one academic and personal support.