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DAVIDSON COUNTY, N.C. – Officials at Thomasville High School launched a new freshman academy at the start of the school year. They hope the move will help them better transition into high school and keep them in to school to graduate.

A normal day of school for Thomasville High School students might look like any other school. But there's one big difference, they're enrolled in a new Freshman Academy.

“The students are all housed separately for the majority of the day but for their core courses they're down in the same wing, with the same teachers and then when they have to go out for electives or PE or lunch, then that's when they leave the academy,” Thomaville High School Assistant Principal Chad Tesh said.

Teachers hope by isolating the 9th graders they'll be able to give them a more focused education. And encourage them to focus on their grades and future.

“I mean, they're going to be freshman. They're going to be immature. I understand that but academically, if I can keep them on track academically for that ninth grade year, then we're on to something,” said Thomasville High School Principal Denoy Beamon.

Beamon says they developed the academy to help decrease the number of students who drop out. But they want the students to get more than just a diploma from high school.

“Not just graduating but graduating with some type of future in place and a plan in place so that's our goal,” Tesh said.

“I've always said, our graduation takes about an hour,” Beamon said, “because we graduate 120-130 kids, I'd love to graduate 220-230 kids and take and hour and a half or two hours.” And so far, these educators think they're on the right track.

Officials say this plan has been in the works for several years. They hope to see the same success similar schools in Winston-Salem and Davidson County have seen.