It's the first day of school at Anne Bailey Elementary School.

Students are back hitting the books but these classrooms are a bit different.

Anne Bailey has gender segregated classes.

The school has been separating boys and girls for three years now and so far teachers claim the change has been successful.

Pat Sircy, 4th Grade Girls Teacher, "We've seen our test scores go up and our discipline gone down. Over all great for students."

Principal Ed Rider says the school went to segregated classes because boys were scoring much lower than girls on national tests.

He says it boils down to the different ways in which boys and girls learn.

Pat Sircy, "They like to share, there's a lot of interaction there."

Girls like quiet environments and discussion.

Boys on the flip side like hands on activities

Donna Clay, 4th Grade Boys Teacher, "There's a lot more movement in a boy's class. They are down on the floor, they are under their desks."

The differences don't stop at learning methods.

The classrooms are like night and day, literally.

Girls prefer dark rooms while boys prefer bright rooms.

The students however aren't separated all day.

They do eat and play together.

Rider says some parents were hesitant about the switch, but he says he's only seen benefits.

Ed Rider, Principal, "We really closed the achievement gap. That was our original intent. We've really done that."

Third graders are the only ones in the school with boys and girls in the same classrooms.