Hmm, depends. For me high school was a big improvement over middle school, maybe part of that was my HS's small size (~1,400 total). In terms of workload, I found 9th grade academically to be quite easier than 8th grade, since the school way overblew the prospect of having to "prepare" us for HS. I never really tried to comform to my friends' interests/ideals/hobbies, so that helped make it easier for me to get through, but what worked for me doesn't always work for everyone. As an idea, I'd recommend getting involved with Drama/Theatre if you can (I wish I'd done this in HS) because generally this area of social life is a step up from MS and it's a great place to just be yourself and make lots of great friends! I hope this helps :)
the guys and the girls are cuter
Pretty much the same...