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A major overhaul at Dr. Freddie Thomas High School during the past five years, which led to significant improvements in student performance, has earned the school a 2009 Panasonic National School Change Award.

"Faculty and staff, especially those that have been here for a long time, are just amazed that it could go from where it was to where it is," said Sandy Jordan-Connor, principal since October 2003.

Sixty-four percent of seventh- and eighth-graders passed state math tests last year, up from 3 percent in 2003, and 43 percent passed state English language arts tests, up from 12 percent. In addition, disciplinary actions have dropped.

Improvements at the 1,000-student school at 625 Scio St. stemmed from numerous changes, Jordan-Connor said. Students now change rooms just three times a day instead of as many as 10 times.The number of lunch periods has been reduced from four to two.Instructional periods are 85 minutes instead of 37. Reducing the amount of time that students spend outside classrooms cut the number of incidents requiring disciplinary action, she said.

Teachers were moved into areas in which they are certified instead of teaching subjects that were not their specialties. And a math and an English teacher work together in every seventh- and eighth-grade classroom.

"It's fantastic because it keeps these kids traveling together all day long with less teachers to get to know and deal with," said Karen Nolan, a seventh-grade English teacher.

The award, which goes to six schools each year, is sponsored by Panasonic Corp. and is a program of the American Association of School Administrators (AASA) and the Fordham University Graduate School of Education.

Freddie Thomas is the third school in the City School District to receive the award. School 5 won in 2003 and School 58 in 2007.

On July 13, school officials will receive a donation from Panasonic and a $5,000 check at Fordham University in New York City.

BLOUDON@DemocratandChronicle.com