1. **State the problem:** Find the surface area of a rectangular prism with height $5$ inches, width $6$ inches, and length $9$ inches. 2. **Formula for surface area of a rectangular prism:** $$\text{Surface Area} = 2(lw + lh + wh)$$ where $l$ is length, $w$ is width, and $h$ is height. 3. **Substitute the given values:** $$l = 9, \quad w = 6, \quad h = 5$$ 4. **Calculate each product:** $$lw = 9 \times 6 = 54$$ $$lh = 9 \times 5 = 45$$ $$wh = 6 \times 5 = 30$$ 5. **Sum the products:** $$54 + 45 + 30 = 129$$ 6. **Multiply by 2:** $$2 \times 129 = 258$$ 7. **Final answer:** The surface area of the rectangular prism is **258 square inches** or $258\ \text{in}^2$. This means if you covered all the faces of the prism, the total area covered would be $258$ square inches.