The graduating 8th-graders had a variety of reasons for not moving on. We're the first class to do this. Here you can stay with your friends. No gangs in here. Here they have no more than 20 students in a class.
Research shows that if students continue on in the same school, they benefit.
First, they aim to get a year's worth of high school credit under kids' belts before sending them into the mainstream of high school life. Second, they hope to bolster students' self-confidence and social skills. The academies' small size is a major asset. As a result, students have more contact with staff members, most of whom were recruited from within the schools. P.E. The academies also have adopted the traditional tracking system, though not every academy offers a full complement from remedial to honors.