Julius Bennett was once a disinterested student destined to become a dropout. Then he enrolled in Amistad Academy, an academically focused charter middle school intent on narrowing the achievement gap between urban and suburban kids located in New Haven, Connecticut. Now Julius is making plans for college. In this article the author details the case of Julius Bennett and describes how Amistad Academy have changed Bennett's deviant behavior, improved his academic performance, and encouraged him to look positively at his future.