"I think all parents want their kids to be successful," said school Principal Carol Smith. "If they're coming to a tuition-based school they certainly take this very seriously."

Smith is telling parents that if they are not satisfied with the advancement in reading skills of their first-graders, then the $5,000 tuition fee will be refunded at the end of the school year.

The school is confident of the guarantee because of the first-grade teacher who works there, Ann Kolley. Kolley suffers from a hearing impairment with only slight hearing in one ear. She believes this impairment only helps in her teaching the youngsters to read.

"I watch kids more closely (than most teachers)," Kolley said. "I have to watch their lips so much to be able to hear what they're saying."

About two hundred students, from pre-kindergarten through eighth grade, have registered for the new school year.