A large share of Hawaii public school students are failing ninth grade, putting the state among the worst in the country — bad news for those kids and for schools trying to fix it.

• Hawaii held back 1 in 10 freshmen a couple of years ago; it has improved slightly to 1 in 13.
• Many of these kids did fine in middle school, then hit a wall in ninth grade.
• Teachers point to peer pressure and skipping class, harder coursework, and strict credit rules kids aren't used to.
• Freshmen must earn five credits to move up, and the bar keeps rising each year.
• Two dozen other states act earlier, holding kids back in elementary school if they can't read well by third grade.

Outlook: Hawaii schools are leaning on summer transition programs and better middle school prep, but the failure rate is expected to stay well above the national average.