Ninth grade is a pivotal year for students. Numerous studies find that academic performance in 9th grade often sets the student's trajectory throughout the high school years, as well as the probability of graduation. The Building Assets Reducing Risks (BARR) model is a comprehensive approach that addresses developmental, academic, and school environment challenges in the 9th grade year. This paper presents the results of a one-year randomized controlled trial that tested the effectiveness of the BARR model in a large suburban high school. The results demonstrated that students in the BARR experimental group earned significantly more credits in core classes (F(4,516) = 24.21, p<0.001) and demonstrated significantly more growth from fall to spring in NWEA mathematics (F(4,470) = 388.12, p<0.001) and reading scores (F(4,490) = 251.84, p<0.001) when compared to students in the control group. BARR is unique in that is it a socio-emotional model that produces significant academic results and increases student success in the critical 9th grade year. Appended are: (1) References; and (2) Tables and Figures.