[2] The school was founded by Tony Gerlicz, who originally planned to emphasize arts and music classes and a less rigid hierarchy.

[5] The school received its charter in 1999 and began offering classes in 2000.

During its first term the school operated out of the Santa Fe Boys & Girls Club.

From 2001 to 2003 the school operated in a strip mall during construction of a new campus.

Ritchie used a more top-down management style, emphasized improving the school's test scores, and worked to resolve the school's budget shortfall by cutting some art and music programs.