"The teachers, the principals, the staff - they know we are here to learn, and they're here to teach us," Younger said. "They care about us."

He and other students said they felt secure at Mastery's Shoemaker campus.

"You don't have to worry about anybody beating anybody up," Leroy Hayes said. "There were no firecrackers in the hallway this year."

Students said they also had to get used to strict discipline and tough academic standards that require students to achieve at least 76 percent to demonstrate "mastery" of academics.

"Just the way they grade - 75 equals an F," said Chauncey Johnson, 14, who transferred in the fall from another charter school.

He said his grades improved after he got to work.

"The work has been harder, and the year has been great," said seventh grader Gilbert Waters Jr., 12.

"The teachers before didn't push us like these teachers," said William Wingate, 14.

Mastery's Shoemaker campus will eventually expand to 714 students from seventh through 12th grades. Students said they planned to be there when Lewis hands out the first diplomas in 2011.

"I would really like to be a doctor," Younger said. "This place will help get me where I want to go."

Highlights of Mastery Program

All students must:

Sign contracts promising to do "whatever is necessary to succeed."

Pledge not to engage in violence.

Know the school's mission is to prepare students for higher education and to compete in the global economy.

Memorize the student code of conduct, including the statement "I am here to learn and achieve."

Attend school in uniform.

Wear ID lanyards with cards on which staff can record good deeds and demerits.

Participate in group sessions and community meetings.