The purpose of the study was to explore the relationship between the implementation of freshman academies and student achievement in math, English, and science in schools in Arkansas. The study presents a review of the literature that discusses the ninth-grade year and the use of freshman academies to improve student achievement. The study consisted of five schools with a freshman academy and 27 schools without a freshman academy. The researcher examined achievement data to determine whether there was a significant difference between the percentage of students passing the ACT Aspire exams taught in a freshman academy versus the students not taught in a freshman academy. The researcher further analyzed data for subgroups to determine whether there was a significant difference between students taught in a freshman academy versus the students not taught in a freshman academy. The subgroups examined in the study were ethnicity and socioeconomic status. No significant difference existed between all student's achievement scores for students taught in a freshman academy versus not being taught in a freshman academy. In addition, there was no significant difference by ethnicity or socioeconomic status in achievement scores for students taught in a freshman academy versus not being taught in a freshman academy. [The dissertation citations contained here are published with the permission of ProQuest LLC. Further reproduction is prohibited without permission. Copies of dissertations may be obtained by Telephone (800) 1-800-521-0600. Web page: http://bibliotheek.ehb.be:2222/en-US/products/dissertations/individuals.shtml.]