December 2025

Dear 7th grade students (and families),

I hope you all have settled in comfortably to the first semester.  As I mentioned at the Welcome Back assembly in September, 7th grade is an especially important academic year.  Your recommended 9th grade placements from the high school district will be determined by 7th grade final averages and standardized test scores, mostly.  So, you want to be sure to put your best effort into everything you do this year. 

As a district, we are fortunate to send our students to either Marlboro High School or Colts Neck High School.  Part of the Freehold Regional High School District, both home schools provide similar opportunities for students -- challenging curriculum, involved faculty, engaging after-school programs, and a continuum of services for those in need.   At either school, you can customize your high school experience to meet your personal goals academically, socially, and in terms of career exploration.  The full range of Honors and Advanced Placement classes is available at either school; athletics and extracurricular clubs are equally strong; both schools offer a wide variety of elective classes to address nearly any discipline of interest to you.  In short, you are in very good hands no matter which home school you are slated to attend.  

This is also the appropriate time to start considering the specialty high school programs offered through the Freehold Regional High School District and the Monmouth County Vocational School District; you might even be thinking about private school.  I advise you to start researching these opportunities now, especially regarding the specific requirements associated with each one.  Although you will receive an abundance of information about these programs this spring and in the fall of 8th grade, information can be found online now at www.frhsd.com (Freehold Regional High School District) and www.mcvsd.org (Monmouth County Vocational School District).  You are only able to apply for these programs as an 8th grader, but most of the admission decision will be based on your performance in 7th grade.  As an important aside, 3 of these programs – namely, Medical Sciences, Science and Engineering, and Computer Science – involve the completion of Algebra I as a prerequisite to enroll.  Therefore, you must EITHER be enrolled in C-level math (Enrichment/8C) or Geometry in 8th grade OR be willing to take Algebra I during the summer before your 9th grade year before applying to any of these 3 programs.  There are no such prerequisites for application to any of the other specialty programs.

Furthermore, please understand that MMS will not consider intent-to-apply to one of these programs as criteria for upward movement in math placement.  Instead, our school district uses specific, data-driven, Board of Education-approved criteria to determine math placement, including final average in class, CogAT score, CA average, Lexile level, and EOY score.  For more information regarding placement criteria, please see the “Placement Information” link under the "Curriculum" tab on the district's web page (mtps.org).  Changes in math placement are fluid and can happen from year to year, but they must be based on achievement of these district standards only.  For more detailed information on your math placement, you can always contact me or your math teacher.

I wish you well as you begin to explore the options for your high school journey.

All the best,

Ms. Riehl :)

If you have any questions or concerns, please email me at [email protected].