Welcome parents of the HS Class of 2026!
If your child is starting/has just started 9th grade and will be graduating in 2026 and you are looking for a place to compare notes with other parents with a Class of 2026 kid, then you are in the right place!
All are welcome. 
D26’s 1st day of HS was last Wed! We got school supply lists and all that, so our normal annual August copious cash flow out of our bank account started last week, including a purchase of a graphing calculator and paying the extracurricular fee for VEX Robotics. ouch!
D26’s classes are:
In terms of extracurricular activities, D26 really likes the Robotics club, so she’s doing that. They’ll meet Friday after school until 5 pm and the sessions start this week. D26 isn’t into sports, so we don’t have any of that going on. I’m of the general philosophy that when you’re in 9th grade, it’s ok not to be super scheduled all over the place.
Personality-wise, D26 is a much more reserved & shy kid compared to D24. HATES to do public speaking in class. She’s a good student. Math & physics, though, she usually has to work a lot harder on in order to get B’s. Her choice of doing honors bio this year, followed by AP bio next year, was on purpose because she thinks that biology is pretty easy. For her honors science class for 10th grade, she’s thinking of chemistry, and then will do physics last in 11th grade because she likes that one the least.
D26’s favorite subject is history, but has said that she doesn’t want to be a history teacher or professor, nor does she want to go to law school. We have not pushed her at all on making any choices at this point, but this is just stuff she’s been talking about off and on since the subject comes up w/D24.
She’s kind of interested right now in maybe a career in computing, but does NOT want to be a comp sci major…because of the 2 yr of college math. She asked me over the summer what other options there were. I told her about how some colleges have a BA in computer science which has not as much math required…and also introduced her to the idea of an MIS major. She was pretty interested in the latter.
Hope everybody’s kid’s freshman year kicks off with a bang!
Hi! X26 officially starts HS tomorrow but is there today for freshman orientation, getting schedules etc. Super bright kid who hates working. This could be a roller-coaster 4 years…
PS I don’t know actually what the abbreviation for non binary is so I used X… but lmk if there is something particular I am supposed to use?
Welcome!
I think you should use whatever abbreviation you prefer for your child. Same with whatever pronouns the kid prefers to use.
FWIW, D24 acted throughout 9th grade like she was allergic to working. It got a lot better in 10th grade. I think she just had to mature a bit. This must be why we all end up with gray hair at the end of the process.
Yay! I have been checking for a Class of 2026 group! D26 is my youngest. Her older two brothers had extremely successful HS and college application experiences, but she is a different kid and the HS has changed a lot.
We are in a very small school system with fewer class options so the following schedule is actually the max “advanced” classes a 9th grader can take.
AP Human geography
Honors English
Honors Geometry
Project Lead the Way (special science curriculum)
Leadership seminar (required to participate in SG)
Art Fundamentals
Spanish I
She has been a competitive gymnast for over 7 years and is currently hoping to also participate in the HS dance team.
She also has long haul covid which has left her with an asthma-like illness and times of severe fatigue. We hope she continues to improve over time but for the time being, all school and activity choices are with the hope that she can physically handle the workload. We will see!
Excited to be back on CC for the support!
Hello. We have a DS starting college and a DD entering HS this fall 
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My D26 would like to take Algebra 2 Honors, but there’s a timing conflict with her Orchestra class. She would have to either drop Orchestra or take regular Algebra 2. I know college admission is a holistic process, but having gone through the arduous application task with my son recently, we want to be better prepared 
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Would you choose an honor math class over music?
So I’m assuming she is on the +2 math track, and took geometry in 8th grade, and will take pre-calc as a sophomore and AP calc as a junior? What will senior year math be? Many schools don’t even offer the +2 math track, so I’d assume there will be no problem with her math rigor if she doesn’t take the honors class as a 9th grader.
If she enjoys orchestra she should definitely stay in it!
Yay- a 2026 board! We are in MA and classes do not start until 9/6 this year!!! Crazy! She just got her schedule today and will be taking:
Honors Spanish
Honors English
CP1 Biology
Honors World Cultures
CP 1 Algebra
And then three electives spread throughout the year- woodworking, social media marketing and some honors reading class
She is a very different student from S24- spends a LOT more time on school work and seems to be a lot more concerned about grades.
She has done All Star cheer for the past 6 years which is all-consuming, so has decided to step away for high school and will be doing Varsity cheer this fall which she is very excited about. I am hoping she tries a winter and spring sport as well.
She just joined BBYO as well which is a Jewish organization for teens that has chapters all over the country, so she will likely be doing some activities with them throughout the year.
If she loves orchestra, keep that class and have her take the non-honors Algebra 2 class.
That is correct. She plans to take AP Cal AB as a junior, then AP Cal BC her senior year. We recently found out that Pre-Cal Honors is a weighted class. I wonder if it would be more difficult for her to qualify for Pre-Cal Honors if she settles for regular Algebra 2 right now. Her counselor said it probably won’t be a problem but I am still skeptical 
Thank you! She will most likely stick with orchestra.
Thank you for another vote for Orchestra. I don’t think she loves it, but likes it enough to pick that over sports
We are right there with you - D22 moves into her dorm this Sunday, and D26 starts 9th grade next Tuesday. (And there’s also D29 - I’ll be on this site for a long time to come). I got a lump in my throat when I saw “Parents of the HS Class of 2026” pop up just now - life seems to be accelerating.
This site saved my sanity while S22 waited for those college acceptance emails. When I saw “Class of 2026” I jumped right on
Hi all! We have a D26 and S23. School starts next week for both of them… still working out some kinks in their draft class schedules. At least we know that they will both be in Orchestra. They are both excited to take a class together in this last year before S23 goes off to college!
Glad to see this thread opening up 
I’m so excited for S26 to be in the same school as S24! I’m hoping the logistics get much easier now!
We’re on the east coast, so school won’t start until September. My kids are still at camp for about another week so it is still hard to process that this is just around the corner.
S24 is both an extrovert and a stellar student so he’s had an amazing HS experience thus far. I’m hoping S24 will have as positive of an experience - he’s super smart but also a bit of a “let me twirl this pencil for an hour instead of actually getting my work done” type. He’s very excited though, so that’s a first step!
Oh this is early 
I just got through the process with my D22, who will start college next Tuesday. My S26 had his first day of HS today.
With D22 we didn’t start thinking about college until Junior year as I was in utter ignorance about the process, which actually made for a very relaxed HS experience. My learning curve was steep but led to a good outcome.
S26 is a totally different kid and I know so much more now. This points to a less relaxed HS experience for him 
Exact same boat here! We started thinking about college for D22 in her junior year! Thought guidance counselor at the school was on top of things for D22, which wasn’t possible with such a large student load. Poor S26 has no idea how much attention is turning his way!
Initially found CC with D20 and have been on a lot recently for D23 so was excited to see this pop up!
S26 started school today and will be taking:
English 1H
Spanish 2
Biology H
Study Hall
2nd semester schedules are not set yet but will likely include Algebra 2H and AP Human.
He’s not much of a joiner but has been doing pre-season running with cross country and seems to like it so I’m hoping he sticks with it!
All 3 of my kids are very different in both their needs and interests so while I have definitely learned a lot I know i still have a lot to learn too!
Looking forward to sharing this journey with you all!
We are in the same boat regarding guidance counselor caseload, one counselor for close to 600 kids!
My D26 started school on Monday and seems happy so far. Freshmen don’t take honors or APs, so she’s taking the basic freshman load. In two weeks she will miss a couple days of school to take her sister, D22, off to college in a faraway state! They will miss each other like crazy.