Most students in high school have their own idea of what the most difficult grade is, but there is no set grade that is meant to be the most complicated. For example, freshmen might find World Geography difficult, while seniors may find Physics as a demanding subject.

“I feel like I have an unpopular opinion because most people who get asked this answer junior year because it has the most college prep and whatnot, but honestly senior year has given me the hardest time so far and we aren’t even halfway done with it yet,” senior Reilly Palmer said.

Senior year may be the most difficult because students have to prepare for college, and take a load of AP classes. 

Seniors like Palmer use tools and strategies such as to be successful in their final year of high school.

“I try to stay organized with a planner, to make sure I get everything I need to get done, accomplished,” Palmer said.

Junior year may also be a struggle for many students in high school. This is especially true because of the big test that they take such as the ACT, that requires a lot of preparation.

The ACT determines the student’s ability to get accepted into college and receive scholarships for aid. This importance level puts a lot of pressure on juniors to do well.

Although, there are many resources that can be provided to help them.

“To make things easier I am in two study halls so I have more time to study and do homework,” junior Lauren Ohlendorf said. 

Junior year contains a lot of complex content, such as the class AP US History. 

Next is sophomore year, which could be a jump in difficulty from freshman year because students often take their first AP class, AP World History.

“I thought sophomore year was harder because I had a lot of homework to do, and we had tests all the time,” Ohlendorf said.

Taking honors classes and an AP class can be stressful to learn because AP class’s curriculum is at the college level, which is different from regular high school classes.

Freshman year may be the biggest environment change, because of the shift from middle school to high school.

“Freshman year is hard because we learn a lot of new information in a short amount of time,” freshman Skyler Cooley said.

As a freshman time management can be one of the most considerable aspects to learn, but it is very much necessary to take advantage of throughout high school.

“I think students have to learn how to manage their time,” teacher Melissa Peterson said. “I think that is a big, big bonus to plan ahead to make sure students get things done when they have a little bit of extra time, instead of trying to cram everything in at the last minute.”

Teachers and other administrators work a lot, especially with freshmen to make sure they learn these skills to be successful.

“Teachers expect a lot out of us, which can sometimes be a little stressful at times, but you get used to the system of each classroom,” Cooley said.

As a high school student, the expectations are high, and a day’s homework may be hefty, but in the end, it is worth it. High school will make sure students are prepared for the next step in their life.