Making the Connection Between Middle School and High School

In ninth grade, your student’s grades will start to count toward their high school grade point average (GPA). In a very real sense, working toward a good high school GPA is the first step toward achieving a valuable career. Your eighth grader might ask why it matters, and your role is helping your student make that critical connection between good grades and a successful future after high school.

Why It Matters

It really matters after high school.
The high school GPA will be a determining factor in being accepted at the colleges your student considers attending or for an apprenticeship after high school.
It counts when it comes to free money for college.
The GPA also plays a role in the academic scholarships a student can receive in college. Most of them tend to be merit-based scholarships, meaning test scores and GPA are closely reviewed before money is awarded.
It makes a difference.
The standard of living your student looks forward to enjoying is directly tied to future earnings. In a competitive job market, the applicant with higher grades may be more likely to receive the job offer. Your student’s future ability to be self-supportive and independent of your financial resources may be impacted by the high school GPA.

What Your Student Can Do Now

Set goals.
If your student has indicated a goal of getting a good job or going to college after high school, try using this pyramid as a visual to demonstrate how getting good grades sets a solid foundation for that goal.

What Your Student Can Do Later

Reflect on career options.
Career options are unlimited, especially when 85% of the jobs in 2030 haven’t even been invented yet, which is exciting to think about. With the exploration into alternative energy sources like wind turbines and solar panels, many industries will be exploring different avenues for technology, energy and the environment, which will require expert and knowledgeable employees. The next ten years could see a host of other industries develop as our country continues to graduate very creative and inventive students. What is your student’s dream job? Will it require a degree or certificate? If so, then college admission standards must be carefully researched, paying attention to the minimum GPA requirement to be accepted.
Consider the best high school option.
How is the high school preparing its students for the world after high school? Does it have a stated vision for that preparation? Is it geared toward college or career preparation?

What You Can Do

Start the conversation.
Be prepared for your student’s questions and use our related Conversation Starters to help you. For strong talking points to use, explore Future Ready Iowa, the initiative to build Iowa’s talent pipeline with the goal of 70% of Iowa’s workforce to have education or training beyond high school by 2025. From a survey conducted by Iowa Workforce Development, it was found that Iowa’s postsecondary educational readiness level had reached 71.8% in 2022. For those who don’t live in Iowa, does your state foster a similar initiative?
Know how many options are available.
If your student is able to decide among several high schools to attend, explore them all by visiting each one and talking to school counselors, teachers and even students, if possible. High school success is tied to the comfortability level and learning environment students have.

Next Steps

Be sure to complete the survey questions at the end of this article to be entered into the 529 deposit giveaway!

Additional references, handouts and talking points are available in the right sidebar to use at your leisure. They may prove beneficial to reference now or after receiving future emails – we’ll leave it completely up to you. Use our emails like a recipe for a successful outcome — assemble the recommended ingredients and then follow accompanying directions to add flavor and depth.