The Cape York Aboriginal Australian Academy (CYAAA), which began operation as part of the government schooling system in 2010, incorporates activities across three overlapping "domains": Class--the formal schooling component; Culture--Indigenous and non-Indigenous cultural knowledge; and Club--sporting, cultural, music and physical education activities. The Academy operates over an extended school day and makes use of the controversial instructional strategy known as Direct Instruction. A framework for rigorously evaluating the Academy trial has been developed but the evaluation has not been completed. This paper draws on the following sources: (1) Data provided by the Australian Curriculum, Assessment and Reporting Authority (ACARA), the Academy, Cape York Partnerships (CYP) and the Queensland Department of Education, Training and Employment (DETE); (2) Literature reviews relating to Direct Instruction and Indigenous school reform; (3) Personal observations at the Academy in 2010 and 2011; and (4) Meetings/interviews/discussions with staff at the Academy, DETE and CYP. The available evidence indicates that literacy, numeracy, behaviour and attendance results are mixed. Debate about the degree to which the Academy provides a model for Indigenous schooling reform will be ongoing. (Contains 14 figures, 1 table, and 4 footnotes.)