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POTOMAC- A school house has been central to the rural Potomac Valley for a century and its mission today still puts value in that small community experience, but this year a few school traditions are gone with the wind.

"We're not doing the same thing that we've done in the past. We're doing it for legitimate, excellence-driven reasons," Potomac School Principal Tim Johnson said.

Johnson and his staff decided to get rid of grade levels when it comes to math in just his second year at the helm and instead, the school places students in a class based on their math ability.

"We've put students we have sixth graders in eighth grade class, and vice-versa, students who are struggling we have them in an ability class where they are most successful and most challenged," Johnson explained.

Since the school saw so much success with its math program, it's now looking at a number of other changes for the upcoming school year, including a four-day school week.

"The schools that've done this have found the continuous time that they have with students allows for more efficient delivery of information and so they're able to get through curriculum at or above the same pace they would have in a five-day week," Johnson told us.

In a valley unprotected from a slumping economy, the symbolic school is getting creative.

"It's our intention to make this school the absolute best school it can be. You hear that a lot, I think, and that's a great thing to strive for. But we are really doing things differently and for the right reasons," Johnson commented.

He's hoping the changes it makes now ensure another century of positive learning in the Potomac Valley.

Potomac School has seen a declining enrollment the past couple years, but Johnson says some schools that have gone to four-day weeks have seen a boost in students. While that's not the goal for Potomac, Johnson says the school does have the space for more students.