Some just enrolled because they liked the personal attention they got in small classes.

Phoenix Academy has been little-known and often-misunderstood, teachers and students say. But a change in its status could help solidify its unique identity.

After receiving approval from the state last week, the alternative program run by Chapel Hill-Carrboro City Schools becomes a high school this fall. The new designation means more money, more programming -- and perhaps some school spirit.

"In talking to students, we realized there would be pride in having equal footing with other schools," said Denise Bowling, assistant superintendent for instructional services.

The district just named the school's first principal, too: LaVerne Mattocks, who was an assistant principal at Orange High School, part of Orange County Schools. Mattocks also worked as an assistant principal in Durham.

This is her first alternative school, but Mattocks said she isn't worried.

"Even in a comprehensive high school, there's always a segment of the population that's struggling," Mattocks said. "I have a strong skill set for that group, and I love working with them."

The state will fund the principal position. The district will likely also allocate more resources to the school, which has served about 50 high-school students each year at its year-old location at 750 S. Merritt Mill Road. Already there are plans to add language and professional development courses.

But with more funding comes more responsibility. Each school district in the state must operate an alternative program or high school that targets "at-risk" youth. As a high school, Phoenix is now expected to pass different state exams and is accountable to federal No Child Left Behind requirements, though with relaxed standards.

"Students will rise to higher expectations," Mattocks said. "Not everybody fits into a square peg -- some are rounded, some have sharp edges. Some just need an extra push."

Previous test results for Phoenix students are not easily accessible because individual test scores have been grouped with students' home schools, according to Bowling.

"We have to have a measure of success," said Mattocks, who is also working on a doctoral dissertation at N.C. State that focuses on the academic successes of African-American males. "How else are we going to prove we are legitimate?"

Students at Phoenix will still be able to return to their home school. But others can ask to stay, and Phoenix will have its own graduation ceremony.

Students can participate in athletics and major school activities, like prom, at their base school. But new clubs like student government could start.

English teacher Julie Durrett said the new designation will help solve logistical problems and build community.

"It is a school. We are licensed teachers, we're experienced, and we're all proud of where we work and what we do," she said. "If the teachers can go around and say we are a real school, that will rub off on the students."

Some students come in with a chip on their shoulder, Durrett added, but a few months later, they end up really wanting to stay.

"This is not a dumping ground, she said. "We're all here because we want to be here."