<p>Unlike a red shirted athlete or a child who needs some adjustment time, Daren2556 sounds like someone expecting a first year coast, since his grades/sports/etc from ninth grade the previous year were already exceptional. I would worry that in this case, he would be the disruptive friend who “doesn’t need to study” and is always looking for fun (“you can do that later”), while his classmates are trying to adjust and learn the 9th grade material.</p>