Homeschool Data · 9th Grade
Across 66,930 ninth-grade science courses on homeschool transcripts, freshman science splits two ways: Biology (27%) and Physical Science (25%). Biology-first is the college-prep lab track; Physical Science is the common foundation year.
| Course | Share | |
|---|---|---|
| Biology | 27% | |
| Physical Science | 25% | |
| Earth Science | 8% | |
| General Science | 7% | |
| Chemistry | 2% | |
| Environmental Science | 1% | |
| Other science courses | ~30% |
Two freshman paths split almost evenly. Biology (27%) is the accelerated, college-prep choice; Physical Science (25%) is the common foundation year taken before Biology. Earth Science and General Science round out the foundation options.
The college-expected core is three years of lab science: Biology, Chemistry, and Physics. Starting with Biology in 9th keeps a student on pace to finish all three by 11th and add a fourth science in 12th. A Physical Science start is fine, but it pushes the lab sequence back a year.
A note on Computer Science. A Computer Science course can count toward a college's science or math requirement, and the NCAA counts an approved Computer Science course toward its core if the high school awards credit for it. Computer-applications or keyboarding courses do not count, and Computer Science is not a lab science, so it complements rather than replaces Biology, Chemistry, and Physics.
Most commonly Biology or Physical Science. Biology-first keeps a student on the college-prep lab-science track toward Chemistry and Physics.
Yes, as a foundation year, but colleges look for three years of lab science (Biology, Chemistry, Physics), so plan the sequence so all three fit.
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