Our district:
Below average:
6th: 6th grade math
7th: 7th grade math
8th: 8th grade math
9th: Prealgebra or Algebra I
Average:
6th: 6th grade math
7th: 7th grade math
8th: 8th grade math or Algebra I
9th: Geometry or Algebra I
Highest:
6th: Prealgebra
7th: Algebra I
8th: Honors Geometry
9th: Honors Algebra II
Students with higher levels of achievement are sometimes placed at a higher level. For example, I know of a 6th grade boy who was placed in Honors Geometry (upon entry from homeschooling). But these placements are rare, especially among kids who have been in the system since K.
This is very much like our local schools (really, it's probably a state thing, mostly).
The percentage of kids in each track really is highly variable locally, however. Our district is a good one, and most kids are in that middle track, with perhaps 5-10% of them in the advanced track. In many schools, the vast majority of students are in that slowest progression.
And, as DeeDee notes-- Common Core has changed content somewhat.
