In spite of a widespread commitment to the comprehensive high school, the nation has long had specialty or theme schools and schools that target particular children. Magnet schools, alternative schools, and Catholic schools illustrate that the idea of specialized schools is not new. Recently, the concept has received a boost from a study by the RAND Corporation that suggests that specialized focus or theme schools would probably be best for most students. This paper examines the nature of such schools, their rationale, and their track records. A focus school has a clear, coherent mission, with a commitment both to character and academic development. It features a core of shared content and experiences and emphasizes the reciprocal responsibilities of students and adults, as it stresses student outcomes. Important characteristics of a focus school are identified as (1) having a breadth sufficient to articulate a full school program; (2) demonstrating real directive significance; (3) emphasizing logical coherence in the theme; and (4) possessing real transformative power. (Contains 59 references.) (SLD)