Phoenix Advantage School opened in September 1997. Nonetheless, some of the results have been remarkable. First graders Stanford 9 test scores increased from the 24 th percentile to the 49 th percentile in reading, from the 38 th to the 48 th percentile in math, and from the 22 nd to the 46 th percentile in language. The school uses an intensive-English immersion approach for English learners in conjunction with the Direct Instruction curriculum used by all Advantage schools. Direct Instruction was originally developed in the late 1960's and early 1970's by Siegfried Englemann and his colleagues at the University of Oregon.
Students begin by learning letters and then words, with a focus on literal comprehension.
The math curriculum is based on mastery of basic facts and relationships, beginning with counting and moving on to other fundamental procedures. Students learn in small instructional groups based on academic skill level rather than grade. The results have not gone unnoticed. The school ranked well on a comparative survey of parental satisfaction by the Goldwater Institute. When it opened its doors in 1997 the student body numbered 250.