In episode six of Last Chance High, Cortez takes an emotional trip to the prison where his father is serving a life sentence for murder. Deeply affected by the visit, Cortez begins taking his medicine regularly and soon shocks his teachers with a new sense of self-control and openness.
On Chicago's West Side, there is a school for the city's most at-risk youth—the Moses Montefiore Academy. Most of the students at Montefiore have been kicked out of other schools for aggressive behavior, and many have been diagnosed with emotional disorders.
Last Chance High takes viewers inside Montefiore's classrooms and into the homes of students who are one mistake away from being locked up or committed to a mental hospital.