AUBURN — High schools must provide extra attention to freshmen — such as holding an orientation day — because research shows the first year of high school is critical, said Craig Jipson, an Edward Little High School coach and teacher who coordinates upperclassmen who mentor freshmen.

National statistics show, Jipson said, that 11 percent of freshmen don’t make it to 10th grade, that students who fail a class in their freshman year are less likely to graduate from high school and that often the majority of a school’s discipline issues involve freshmen.

In addition to orientation day, EL has “freshmen teaming” as do many schools. Teams of teachers work with groups of students to keep freshmen from falling through the cracks.

The school also is boosting student mentoring beyond orientation day. Next week mentors will meet for 25-minute sessions with their assigned groups of freshmen and talk about how the first days of school went.

At future group meetings, mentors and their students will discuss how to get good grades and effective ways of taking notes and studying.

The mentors are giving freshmen “a road map on how to be successful,” Jipson said. “They’re learning from mistakes,” as older students share what worked for them and what didn’t, such as taking too many challenging courses at the same time.

Lewiston High School also holds a freshmen orientation day, Assistant Principal Jay Dufour said. Lewiston freshmen got a tour of the building, went through their entire schedule and had a meet and greet with their teachers.

“It’s important to get the kids here,” Dufour said. “The building is very large. There can be a lot of anxiety. It’s important for them to be comfortable and get them off on the right foot.”