10 Best 9th Grade Curriculum: A Complete Guide for Home & School (2024)

Oct 25 2021

As a parent, you’ll always have a never-ending dilemma that revolves around choosing the best curriculum for your child. Whether they’re in the first or the ninth grade, you want to make sure you’re providing the best for your kid to ensure they grow up to be successful. Accordingly, you’ll need our help.

We’ve made a list of the best ninth-grade curriculums out there. So if you’ve been facing difficulty in choosing a suitable 9th-grade curriculum for your child, you’re in luck! Read on to get all the information you need.

The 10 Best Ninth Grade Curriculums

1. Positive Action High School Kit 1

In five units, the Positive Action curriculum takes ninth graders through an enjoyable learning experience. Whether your high schooler goes to school or learns through homeschooling, they’re going to find this curriculum fun.

In Unit 1, students get introduced to life’s monumental question, who am I? Using a poster to point out many historical thinkers, students are encouraged to think about the place they want to occupy in this life. On the other hand, Unit 2 focuses on their physical health and intellectual abilities through many mind-stimulating activities.

Going on to Unit 3, students learn about time and talent management. While in Unit 4, they know how they should treat other people through developing a code of conduct. Finally, Unit 5 teaches them the importance of being honest with both themselves and other people.

If you purchase this kit, you should expect an instructor’s manual, activity sheets, colorful posters, visual aids, journals, and more.

2. Positive Action High School Kit 2

While this curriculum bears a significant resemblance to the previous one, it still contains some differences. Given that, you can either purchase those curriculums as a whole or mix and match between different Positive Action kits. And for the best part, they all work as homeschooling and schooling curriculums.

During Unit 1, students meet diverse characters who cooperate to reach a monumental goal. In Unit 2, ninth-graders get to challenge their creative and intellectual thinking skills. As for Unit 3, a colorful poster teaches them the importance of thinking before acting as the results are not reversible in real life.

Unit 4 is more emotional as it teaches students all about respect, love, empathy, and more. Interestingly enough, Unit 5 takes students on a mysterious journey to a deep cave full of crystals and diamonds. Later on, they face the truth stone, which condemns them for their lack of honesty.

Finally, when they reach their goal in Unit 6, they start discussing what they’re going to do with the prize.

3. Positive Action High School Kit 3

Much like the previous two, this Positive Action curriculum works wonders for homeschoolers and regular schoolers. As a bonus point, each unit in this kit comes with an interesting, hands-on project so that students can work together.

In Unit 1, students get assigned an exciting project about researching great thinkers and creating a collage of their quotes. Unit 2 highlights the importance of physical health and how to stay energetic, while the project is all about executing a health fair.

Going on to Unit 3, students learn more about multi-tasking and time management by creating a newsletter about the topic. Unit 4 comes in with a poster about kindness to remind them of the importance of staying kind to people. Later on, Unit 5 encourages ninth graders to admit their mistakes and healthily correct them.

Last but not least, Unit 6 is all about reaching goals and dreaming. The project encourages students to start a media campaign in an attempt to learn how to achieve success.

4. Master Books 9th Grade - Basic 4 Subject Set

With the Master Books curriculum, you’ll get 36-weeks’ worth of materials, including both student and teacher guides. Moreover, it revolves around four core subjects that every ninth grader should learn about, language arts, science, history, and math.

The best news for parents is that this curriculum comes with a detailed schedule so that you won’t have to make one your own. It also includes ready quizzes, activity sheets, and more assignments to challenge your child. Starting with math, students will get a deep understanding of elementary algebra and its basics.

As for language arts, the curriculum is full of stories, writing reports, essays, and many other writing activities that’ll improve students’ English skills. Master Books’ history part is all about native Americans and cultural changes all over America and Europe.

Finally, ninth-graders will get a thorough introduction about cells’ nature, biomes, ecosystems, taxonomies, genetics, and more in biology.

5. Power Homeschool 9th Grade Program

As a homeschooling curriculum, the Power Homeschool program stands proudly among other options on our list.

It uses an automated learning system to ensure accuracy and efficiency. Not to mention, your ninth grader can learn at whatever pace they like because this program is entirely self-paced. Therefore, their homeschool day doesn’t have to be the same as their friends’.

The subjects that students can learn with this curriculum vary according to their preferences. They can select any courses they like from a wide list that includes language arts, world history, math, science, foreign languages, health, social studies, and more. In addition, they can choose up to seven courses to take during the entire year.

This encourages ninth graders to be more independent as they face the dilemma of making a decision. And for the best part, most Power Homeschool courses are available through all high school years.

With this new curriculum, parents can take a little break from being involved in their kids’ education. However, they can still evaluate their progress through a special parent login on the Acellus app that works on record keeping.

6. ACE Comprehensive Curriculum (5 Subjects) Grade 9 Kit

In addition to being one of the most affordable curricula on our list, ACE also teaches ninth-grade students through a biblical perspective that helps build their characters. The five subjects you should expect here are geography, math, English, etymology, and science.

The best part about this curriculum is that students learn at their own pace, using the PACE workbooks that come with it. Those books encourage ninth graders to complete their activities and exercises, then take a trial test. Later on, they get to go through the final exam to ensure they understand the subjects correctly.

Students will also get to evaluate their solutions using the answer sheets that come with this kit. This encourages independence and builds problem-solving skills for 9th graders. To sum it up, if you want your child to grow up having a spiritual perspective in life and don’t want to dent your wallet too bad, then this curriculum is for you.

7. SONLIGHT 9th Grade Curriculum

The Sonlight homeschool curriculum guarantees both academic and spiritual success for your ninth-grade student. It includes a teacher’s guide, daily plans, and teaching tips to avoid finding yourself out of depth if you don’t have enough experience in the educational field.

This curriculum will enlighten high schoolers about history, literature, geography, Bible, language arts, math, and science. In addition, students will learn classic literature and world history through a deeply spiritual perspective. And although the Sonlight curriculum might be costly, the investment is definitely worth it.

In math, students will learn more deeply about many rules in both algebra and geometry. Meanwhile, in science, they’ll study a detailed introduction about Newton’s law, gravity, and many other aspects in physics. Finally, ninth-graders will get to explore many literary concepts through learning more about American history.

8. BJU Press Grade 9th With Books

With engaging online learning techniques and top-notch content, the BJU Press homeschool curriculum remains one of the best choices for 9th-grade students. After finishing middle school, students study geography, literature, grammar, writing, math, and physical science.

And while parents tend to involve less in their kids’ education during high school, they still can track their progress through an online login.

In addition, this curriculum is mainly composed of online videos. As a result, 9th-grade students can feel free to study anywhere they want. Not to mention, they’ll be taught by professional teachers with assessments, assignments, online quizzes, and much more.

As a bonus point, although this curriculum is online, it still comes with printed worksheets and books to ensure that ninth graders’ high school experience is fruitful.

9. Time for Learning 9th Grade Curriculum

The Time4Learning curriculum provides ninth-grade students with the flexibility they need in high school. It helps them build a solid foundation for college years while also letting them choose the subjects they want and set their own goals. The topics they’ll study include language arts, science, history, math, and more.

In English, ninth-graders will improve their writing skills, spelling, vocabulary, and grammar skills. Meanwhile, they’ll learn about equations, formulas, complex numbers, graphs, and more in math. Biology will take them on an exciting journey to the human body, where they’ll get introduced to cell division, blood types, and cell structure.

As for history, ninth-graders will get to know historical events and figures in world history. In the meantime, they’ll learn how to use a globe and a map in geography, which means they’ll get to study many capitals and states.

Finally, there are 14 elective courses available for students to choose from. So whether your 9th-grade student is interested in psychology or art, they’ll find their match.

10. Timberdoodle 9th Grade Curriculum Kit

Timberdoodle's 9th grade curriculum is a perfect match for creative students who like to stimulate their brains and improve their logical thinking skills. With hands-on activities, STEM learning techniques, and art throughout the courses, your student will have an unforgettable experience.

In addition, students will be able to work at their own pace without feeling rushed. However, this depends on how in-depth your student takes their learning process. As a result, they’ll be able to find their studying rhythm independently, which will come in handy when they go to college alone.

The subjects that ninth-graders will study here are math, language arts, science, and history. In math, Timberdoodle presents an engaging Math-U-See curriculum that will deeply enlighten students about each mathematical concept in the ninth grade. Meanwhile, the literature course will work on building and improving their analytical skills.

Finally, this curriculum comes with a year planner to ensure your student has an organized experience.

What Is Taught in 9th Grade?

Language Arts

By default, students get to develop their language skills in this course by getting more practice. For example, they’ll study grammar rules in more depth than before, along with vocabulary. Moreover, they’ll study literature and poetry, which will broaden their perspective in life and improve their analytical and critical skills.

In addition, ninth-graders get to practice essay writing through assignments, and some curriculums also encourage extracurricular activities in this course.

Math

In 9th grade, students will study algebra on a more complicated level and understand all of its rules deeply. Moreover, they’ll gain insight into many geometrical concepts. The exact content may vary from one curriculum to another, but the idea is generally the same.

History

Although history may vary between schools, we’ll still give you an idea about what to expect. For starters, students will learn more about American history and important figures that influenced today’s world. They might also get an introduction about different cultures and governments. Moreover, they’ll study important events in world history.

Science

Science generally includes biology, chemistry, and physics. Thus, the contents of this course may differ significantly from one curriculum to another. But as a rule of thumb, 9th-grade students should learn meiosis and mitosis, cell structure, and many facts about the human body.

In physics, they’ll learn about gravity and how it was discovered. In chemistry, they’ll gain a deeper understanding of experiments and scientific theories.

Geography

Regarding geography, students will work out how to use maps and globes. Accordingly, they’ll memorize the names of the continents and some capitals.

Art

Art is primarily elective in high school courses, but it’s famous for its exciting content and broad topics. For example, ninth-grade students may study graphic design, photography, architecture, or drawing.

If your child is more on the artistic side, they should definitely choose this course to gain elective credits. Aside from the fun, they’ll also improve their creativity and thinking skills. Some 9th-grade art curriculums also contain music lessons for those who are interested.

To Wrap Up

Ninth grade is where everything gets real for students. They start thinking about their future more deeply as college is nearing. As a result, they’ll need an all-in-one curriculum to build their academic and soft skills.

Your top pick will most probably be the Positive Action curriculum. In addition to the fact that it’s suitable for both homeschoolers and schoolers, you also have three kits to choose from.

Now that you have enough information about 9th-grade curriculums, you can find your perfect fit!