Tori LeHoux's dark eyes sank faster than her grades did three years ago. "I'm not sure how next year's going to be," said the high school junior from Franklin. "I'm just disappointed. I was really looking forward to graduating here and getting all my credits. I feel it's going to be more of a struggle to get all my credits I need in high school."

The Franklin Career Academy, a public school for kids whose focus couldn't be lassoed into a classroom climate elsewhere, is dropping the curtain after an unstable four-year run.

Graduation was last night in the school gym. The final classes are next Friday. The final remedy to our educational needs, meanwhile, is nowhere in sight.

In an era when the state can't decide how to pay for public education, Franklin's charter school suffered from inadequate funding.

Critics of the school and of its outspoken founder, Bill Grimm, complained that he made no effort to fundraise, that he expected far more than the state was willing to fork over.

Grimm? He claims the school's approved charter wasn't followed. He says his modest budget was doable but few would listen.

"The political will is not here to support these schools," Grimm said yesterday from his office. "They think we're taking money away from public schools."

That's another story, documented several times since the school opened in 2004, closed for the 2005-06 year due to lack of funding, then reopened again for its final two-year run thanks to some state aid.

This one's about the kids. About their failures and triumphs. About their fears and hopes. And about dumping the mainstream educational system in favor of a school that better suited their needs.

LeHoux will spend her senior year at Franklin High, where she got lost in the sauce three years ago before transferring.

"A lot of it had to do with teachers," LeHoux said. "I didn't like a lot of my teachers I had. I didn't like that it was so overcrowded. There were more things to deal with than school itself, a lot of dramas and stuff you don't want to deal with. The teachers seemed, like, less focused getting you to pass, like they didn't really care."

LeHoux earned just half a credit as a freshman at Franklin. It takes 20 credits to graduate, or an average of five per year. She cut school, zoned out, received F's. She needed a more intimate setting, with smaller classrooms, increased one-on-one attention and a better support system that told her she could succeed.

Her friend, also failing at Franklin High, moved to Franklin Career Academy and graduated last year, so LeHoux followed her there. She'll receive three A's on her next report card and no grades lower than a B.

"She's the poster child of a remarkable turnaround," Grimm said. "I can't think of a better example of anybody who's had a bigger turnaround. Coming in early, working on the computer, working on things a half hour before class starts."

"A lot of the problem was getting attention," LeHoux said. "The things I needed help on, the teachers here wanted me to pass. Here, it's like you need to do this and you need to do that. The smaller classroom environment, less distractions, that all helped."

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