"Central High School," a rural school composed largely of students of color from low income homes, experienced a quick, remarkable turnaround of student academic success, measured by State and Federal accountability standards. This turnaround began with an external restructuring grant initiative that required a state-approved external consultant. A qualitative study of this turnaround reveals that a minimally implemented Accelerated Schools Project was followed by a much stronger Professional Learning Community model developed by the external consultant. The professional literature regarding these two models is reviewed and applied, providing context for a description of the turnaround process at this diverse rural school. The triangulated, chain-sampled interviews are analyzed and supported by student achievement data. (Contains 4 tables.)