Recovery High Schools: A Descriptive Study of School Programs and Students

ABSTRACT

High schools specifically designed for students recovering from a substance use disorder (substance abuse or dependence) have been emerging as a continuing care resource since 1987. This study of 17 schools provides the first systematic description of recovery school programs and their students. The most common school model is that of a program or affiliated school, embedded organizationally and physically with another school or set of alternative school programs. Although embedded, there are serious efforts to maintain physical separation of recovery school students from other students, using scheduling and physical barriers. Affiliation with public school systems is the case for most recovery schools and seems to be a major factor in assuring fiscal and organizational feasibility.

The students in the recovery high schools studied were predominantly White (78%), with about one-half from two parent homes. Overall parent educational levels suggest a higher mean socio-economic status (SES)than in the general population. Most students (78%) had prior formal treatment for substance use disorders, often concomitantly with treatment for mental health concerns, and were often referred by treatment providers. Students came with a broad and complex range of mental health issues, traumatic experiences, drug use patterns, criminal justice involvement, and educational backgrounds. The complexity of these problems clearly limits the enrollment capacity of the schools.

Retrospective pretest-to-posttest analysis suggests significant reduction in substance use as well as in mental health symptoms among the students. Students were very positive in their assessment of the therapeutic value of the schools but less enthusiastic regarding the educational programs. The school programs appear to function successfully as continuing care to reinforce and sustain the therapeutic benefits students gained from their treatment experiences.

KEYWORDS:

• Recovery high schools
• alternative schools
• adolescent substance use disorders
• continuing care

Acknowledgments

D. Paul Moberg, PhD, is in the Population Health Institute, University of Wisconsin School of Medicine and Public Health, Madison, WI 53726-2397.

Andrew J. Finch, PhD, is in the Department of Human & Organizational Development, Vanderbilt University, Nashville, TN 37203.

Funding for this research was provided by the National Institute on Drug Abuse, Grant # R21-DA-019045. We are indebted to Barbara Hill for managing many of the details of this research and participating in most of the site visits. We particularly wish to thank the staff and students of the following schools for their enthusiastic participation in this research: Aateshing-Cass Lake, MN; Archway Academy-Houston, TX; Clean & Sober-Santa Rosa, CA; Clean & Sober- Petaluma, CA; Community High-Nashville, TN, Gateway Program-St. Paul, MN, Horizon High-Madison, WI, INSIGHT-White Bear Lake, MN; Phoenix Academy-San Rafael, CA; Safe Harbor-Spring Lake Park, MN; Serenity High- McKinney, TX; Sobriety High-Burnsville,MN; Sobriety High-Maplewood, MN; Sobriety High-Edina, MN; SOAR-Broomfield, CO; Solace Academy-Chaska, MN; Transitions High-Harrisburg, PA; and Winfree Academy-Dallas, TX.

Notes

*“Before” is based on retrospective report at the time of survey regarding “the 12 months before your started this school.”

*Total days since entered school; not limited to 90 days.

*Since started school, not limited to 90 days.

*“Before” is based on retrospective report at the time of survey regarding “the 12 months before your started this school.”

1. The term “substance use disorder” is used in this paper to refer to either substance abuse or dependence, as defined by the DSM-IV (American Psychiatric Association, 1994).