High school graduation rates gradually increased to 80% until 1968, at which point there was a steady decline until 2002 when the passage of No Child Left Behind required states to measure and increase graduation rates for all students (Kamenetz, 2015). With this greater accountability in place, educators readily identified ninth grade as a critical year for improvement (Dedmond et al., 2006). On-track indicators were identified for academic and behavioral measures, as well as student engagement (Haueser & Koenig, 2011). Schools have implemented transitional programs such as peer-led programs (i.e., Link Crew or Peer Group Connection) and Freshman Academies to improve student success and subsequent graduation rates (Dedmond et al., 2006). This causal-comparative, nonexperimental study compared ninth-grade transition programs for improving academic, behavior, and student engagement of ninth-grade students in a traditional or ninth-grade transition program cohort. Results of this study did not find statistically significant differences in credits earned and discipline incidents between cohorts. Statistically significant differences were found in grade point averages (GPAs), rates of promotion to tenth grade, and attendance. The traditional ninth-grade cohort had higher GPAs and rates of promotion to tenth grade as well as fewer absences than the cohort who experienced ninth-grade transitional programs. The results of the Student Engagement Instrument (SEI) for measuring student engagement revealed statistically significant differences between cohorts, with the ninth-grade transition program having higher overall SEI scores as well as higher subscales of affective and cognitive engagement. The results of this study may have been impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic. [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://www.proquest.com/en-US/products/dissertations/individuals.shtml.]