It’s the first day of school and ninth graders are stressed.

They’re being swarmed by the upperclassmen, with their eyes scanning the room for a familiar face. The teachers talk about the work, trying to make it sound gentle, until the workload begins and the students realize there truly is a difference between middle school and high school.

According to lifestyle.howstuffworks.com, one of the scariest things about moving from middle school into high school is the increase in school size. Most schools, including this one, have more than one school that feeds into it. When there are 500 people in a grade, things can get chaotic, leading to stress for the new students. “One of the scariest changes from middle school was the number of kids,” freshman Jenny Brailovksy said.

The workload at high schools depends on the school and teachers but is likely more than in middle school. People feel pressured to take harder classes so it looks good on their transcripts for applying to colleges and then workloads become even bigger. This could help students start to learn how to use their time wisely. “There is more work in high school but less homework. You mature as a student between self-advocacy and balance,” freshman Blake Graham said.

Teachers can also be a difference between the middle and high school; teachers may be more strict or more understanding. Teachers in middle schools tend to let the students have more freedom with due dates and deadlines while in high school they may be sterner. The middle school teachers might also create better relationships with students because they see them more throughout the years.“I prefer the teachers at my middle school because I was more comfortable with them and I knew all the teachers starting in sixth grade. The teachers here are more distant and we change teachers after the first semester so there isn’t time to get comfortable with them,” freshman Addison Purvis said.

Students when first going into high school can be worried about friends. it could be that they won’t have any friends in their classes so they will have no one to talk to or that their friends will change as time goes on, which can be a sad topic. Students sometimes change in high school. They become more mature and might find new things they like or they may start a relationship, which can also affect their friendships. It may bring them closer or distance them depending on the situation.

Making new friends is always good because having a lot of friends can make you happy. “I went to Cabin John so going into Wootton meant not going to school with a lot of my close friends. I met two girls going to Wootton during the summer but I didn’t know who their friends were. On the first day seeing so many new people in my grade was weird but I have made so many new friends and it is much better now,” freshman Siena McCarthy said.