Teaching methods blend cooperative learning, small group counseling, tutoring, and computer-assisted instruction. Classes are taught in mixed-age groups of 12 to 21 students. The day begins with an advisory period during which teachers and students address issues affecting students, such as conflicts, AIDS, or a death in the family. During this time teachers also review the progress of those students who are in school on a contract basis because of a behavior problem. Each student has a spreadsheet with all the competencies, and different teachers sign off on these as the student attains them.
Students can also earn up to two elective credits for hours worked.
When students do not attend, they lose increments of their final grade just as they would lose pay at a job. The school's daily attendance rate is about 89 percent. With the concentrated block schedule, a new quarter begins every 22 days. The principal finds this schedule reinforces accountability, breaks work into smaller, less intimidating pieces, allows students to see credits accumulate without waiting until the end of the semester, and gives students who have not done well another fresh start. These are often older students who are working or students who are planning to return to the mainstream high school at the semester and want to earn some credits in the mean time.