SAN DIEGO -- By law, eight underacheiving schools in San Diego cannot continue to perform "as is" and something must be done to turn things around, 10News reported. Some of the schools want to restructure while others want to give the charter system a try. 10News visited one city charter school, Cortez Hill Academy, that has had the most-improved scores in the district.

In the heart of the city, just five years after it opened, Cortez Hill Academy is already getting high marks from the district. It offers math and sciences on one floor and arts and English on another.

But, it's the school's philosophy that rules.

Cortez Hill co-founder Linda Reed said, "It is the relationships between the students and the teachers, the adults in the environment that helps encourage them to want to learn."

Eight more city schools are considering taking the charter leap -- or something like it.

Tom Mitchell from San Diego School District, said, "No Child Left Behind is a law that requires schools that are not performing, who are in what we call the fourth year of improvement, to restructure and make fundamental and significant changes to their governance."

Cortez Hill co-founder and Principal Jackie Hicks advises other administrators to foster an entrepreneurial attitude among the staff and treat students as individuals, but the key, she said, is parent involvement.

"We can't do this without parent support. Their commitment to what we're about, their agreement, their understanding of our goals and values," Hicks said.

Shandra Peace got involved and saw her son's grades improve.

"Coming to Cortez Hill has improved his grades. His overall personality has improved. I'm proud of the kids here," Peace said.