Expand Recovery High Schools

Introductory Paragraph

Recovery High Schools are secondary schools created specifically for students who are in recovery from a substance use disorder or co-occurring disorders. The purpose of recovery high schools is to offer students who are in recovery a safe place to earn their diploma while also focusing on their recovery. Just like other secondary schools, recovery high schools are staffed with teachers, counselors, support staff, administrators, and mental health professionals. The main difference between recovery high schools is that they provide students in recovery with the opportunity to separate themselves from situations and peers who might have impacted their prior use. Recovery high schools also provide opportunities for group therapy, meetings with addiction counselors, and an environment where they are encouraged to be open about their struggles.

Key Information

Recovery High Schools

The first recovery high school was opened in the 1970s. However, recovery high schools did not gain a lot of traction or notoriety until roughly 2008. Today, there are approximately 45 recovery high schools across the nation, with this number increasing each year. Given the smaller nature and more involved education that recovery high schools offer, they tend to be more costly than traditional public high schools. Funding often comes from private donors, partnerships with other nonprofit organizations/agencies, and insurance. In some cases, state funding is available. Effectiveness statistics for recovery high schools are positive. Students who attend a recovery high school are much less likely to return to use compared to their peers who are either out of school or return back to a traditional high school.

Relevant Research

Recovery High Schools

• Data from Monitoring the Future indicates that teen drug and alcohol use continues to decline, but that the statistics are still alarming.

• A study titled "Recovery High Schools: A Descriptive Study of School Programs and Students" documents the higher effectiveness of recovery schools in preventing return to use than traditional schools.

Impactful Federal, State, and Local Policies

State Policies on Recovery High Schools

• New Jersey -- Senate Bill No. 2058 (216th Legislature, 2014) authorizes establishment of three pilot recovery alternative high schools that provide high school education and a substance dependency plan of recovery to test the effectiveness of this model.

• Rhode Island -- The Recovery High Schools Act (2013 General Laws, Title 16 - Education, Chapter 16-95) authorizes the creation of a pilot recovery high school for the purposes of demonstrating the effectiveness of this model in Rhode Island.

Available Tools and Resources

• The Association of Recovery Schools (ARS) is the only association exclusively representing recovery high schools. ARS supports and inspires recovery high schools to achieve optimum performance. It empowers every student in recovery, providing hope and access to services. ARS offers technical assistance, accreditation, and support to members.

• Young People in Recovery (YPR) envisions a world where all young people have the resources they need to thrive in recovery from addiction to drugs and alcohol. YPR’s mission is to provide the life skills and peer support to help people recover from substance use disorder and reach their full potential.

Promising Practices

North Carolina. In 2019, the Emerald School of Excellence, in Charlotte, opened as the first recovery high school in the Carolinas. It is a private school which operates on three foundational pillars (faith, fitness, and fellowship) while embracing an inclusive and nonsectarian perspective. It accepts youth aged 13-21 years old.