Planning for school will be one probably the most rewarding experiences to share together with your youngster. It may also be one of the crucial annoying. Beginning this course of in ninth grade can guarantee a easy execution, and ensure you don’t miss any useful deadlines all through the 4 years of highschool. Listed here are some useful timelines to observe to maintain the method transferring all through highschool. When you begin a bit later, don’t stress. These are steered occasions, and your pupil can do many of those actions at any time in highschool.
ninth and tenth Grades
Evaluation highschool credit score necessities and develop a course technique, ideally with a highschool counselor
Select a highschool endorsement path, in the event you haven’t already completed so in eighth grade
Contemplate Profession and Technical Education schemes and different certifications, if out there
Begin retaining a listing of awards, honors, extracurricular actions, and volunteering
Begin researching schools of curiosity, and faculties you wish to go to
Examine admission necessities and utility deadlines for faculties of curiosity
Contemplate SAT or PSAT preparation programs, and sign-up to take the PSAT in tenth grade
Discover twin credit score and AP choices
Discover pursuits and profession alternatives
Begin researching scholarship alternatives, there are lots of you possibly can apply for all through highschool
eleventh Grade
Signal as much as take the SAT and/or the ACT
Proceed to reap the benefits of twin credit score and AP choices
Take part in internships
Make a closing listing of faculties to use
Begin researching school utility essays
Proceed making use of for scholarships
twelfth Grade
Submit monetary help functions just like the FAFSA and CSS profile; the FAFSA sometimes opens round October 1st annually
Ask for suggestions letters from 1-2 lecturers and college counselor (finish of junior yr can be a good time for this request)
Retake the SAT or ACT, if wanted
Evaluation Early Motion and Early Determination necessities of colleges in your listing
Apply to high schools in your listing
Submit check scores to varsities of curiosity
Work with faculty to have official transcripts despatched to all faculties in your utility listing
Apply for scholarships

Useful Ideas
Cafe Faculty is a superb useful resource for college students in Bexar County, and providers are free. It provides quite a lot of school and profession readiness assets, together with check prep, advising, workshops, utility help, and monetary help data.
There are a number of normal functions for college students in Texas. Apply Texas can be utilized for all Texas public establishments and has a free utility week annually. In 2026, the free utility week is October twelfth to October 18th. The Widespread App is accepted by over a thousand establishments nationwide and must be used for all out-of-state faculties. Each of those functions merely the method and permit for a number of submissions. You can too apply straight by way of school’s web site, however this utility can’t be transferred to different establishments.
You’ll be able to ship your SAT scores to 4 establishments for free of charge. You have to designate these faculties whenever you register, or no later than 9 days after your check date. The ACT additionally permits for 4 free submissions, and you’ve got till the Thursday after a Saturday check date to designate.
Make the most of your faculty’s assets. A highschool counselor, trusted instructor or administrator, or faculty library is usually a nice supply of knowledge.
The Texas Schooling Company has a Commencement Toolkit stuffed with useful assets for all excessive schoolers in Texas.
