The School District of Philadelphia’s Ninth Grade Academies are designed to ease the transition from middle school to high school for ninth-grade students. Academy objectives are to build peer-to-peer connections and student-staff relationships, get students working together, and pushing through new challenges.
As a key partner to these schools, POBS delivers a mix of single-day Insight programs and five-day peer leadership expeditions that challenge students to step outside their comfort zones, collaborate with their peers, and reflect on their roles as members of a learning community. These experiences help students build confidence, strengthen relationships, and develop the social-emotional skills needed to navigate high school with resilience and purpose.
POBS has conducted hundreds of surveys of Ninth Grade Academy students from 2021-2025, and it’s no surprise that most growth is in those areas, as the chart below shows.
During the 2024-2025 school year, we served a total of 1,171 9th Grade Academy students from 16 schools.
- 148 students went on a day program in the fall and spring.
- 31 students attended at least one day program before going on a 5-day expedition.
- 24 students attended three or more programs, including day programs and expeditions.
POBS programs show growth in areas that impact what the School District of Philadelphia measures on the Philly School Experience Survey – areas like:
- Belonging
- Peer conflict, and
- If students trust adults in their school.
During this period, most of our partner high schools saw meaningful gains: some maintained overall climate scores while improving in student belonging, peer relationships, and trust in adults; others saw progress across all measures.
As we continue to grow and refine our 9th Grade Academy programs, the data and stories point to a consistent trend: when students and educators engage in challenging, relationship-centered experiences outside the classroom, the ripple effects carry back into schools in powerful ways.
Increases in belonging, trust, and positive peer interactions across our partner schools underscore the importance of this work. With strong collaboration from school communities and dedicated chaperones, we look forward to deepening our impact and reaching even more students in the years to come.
