Adapted from National Association of Counties blog post: King County school offers students a route to sobriety
Walking into Interagency Recovery Campus in Seattle is like stepping into any other high school building. The familiar buzz of student chatter echoing off the linoleum floors conjures a familiar image to anyone who’s attended one of America’s thousands of other public schools.
So familiar that a visitor might overlook a wooden board displaying 34 names and dates. These names belong to students at the campus, and the dates mark the number of days that they’ve been sober. Each name represents a story that shows the impact of that speaks to the transformative Interagency Recovery Campus, the only publicly funded recovery school in the state.
For one senior, attending the program broke a cycle of substance use that began at 11 years old with cannabis and alcohol use, escalating to three opioid-related overdoses by the end of their freshman year. For another student, the campus’ intervention after a fifth stay in juvenile detention provided the stability to start healing from the trauma of their father’s murder and mother’s cancer diagnosis. A third student was able to re-engage with their education after the program’s unwavering support helped them to regain sobriety following a relapse into opioids and methamphetamine use, which had led to nearly a year of being unsheltered. All three students are now in long-term recovery.
How the Recovery Campus Fosters a Supportive Community
The school day at Interagency Recovery Campus combines both academic and recovery supports as students work toward graduation from 9 a.m.-2:05 p.m. Unlike traditional high schools, students at the Recovery Campus don’t have to navigate the path to sobriety alone. They are surrounded by an environment designed to foster it.
“They go shopping, they go to the movies, they go go-karting, they go to the parks, they go swimming. They have 12-step meetings,” said Interagency’s Outreach Coordinator Jessica Levy. “We’re really creating a strong support system for kids in early recovery where they are in a routine and busy all day.”
Since its inception in 2014, the Interagency Recovery Campus has had a measurable impact on both academic achievement and recovery. The program was established in response to a 2013 report1 that found only 25% of young people in publicly funded substance use disorder (SUD) treatment graduated from high school. For youth with co-occurring mental health disorders, this number dropped to 17%. However, from 2015-2022, 63% of Interagency Recovery Campus students who attended 90 days or more have earned or were working toward their high school diplomas. Additionally, 18% transferred to continue their schooling elsewhere. Just over half of students maintained more than one year of recovery following their enrolling.
Interagency’s students emphasize the unprecedented longevity of their recovery, with the program’s focus on peer community and connection helping them build and sustain a recovery lifestyle.
“I’ve never stayed sober just because of rehab,” a senior at the campus recounts. Before coming to the program, they had cycled through four facilities and regularly through emergency services. Today, the student is 22 months sober.
Program History
The Interagency Recovery Campus was founded thanks to a $250,000 investment from the King County Behavioral Health and Recovery Division of the Department of Community and Human Services (DCHS). Nearly 10 years later, the program is jointly funded by DCHS and Seattle Public Schools. Interagency Academy covers the academic side, and DCHS invests in behavioral health staffing and recovery support. Under the umbrella of Interagency Academy, the Recovery Campus has access to a school nurse and special education services.
County decision-makers from across the nation from NACo’s Opioid Solutions Leadership Network, who visited Interagency’s Recovery Campus recently, saw how investments from opioid settlement dollars into these life-changing spaces could make an impact across the country.
For youth affected by substance use disorder in King County, effective treatment and support at this most critical time have saved decades of their lives. The Recovery Campus has done this and more, creating an ever-expanding community of youth in recovery that has a ripple effect beyond the program.
What It’s Like Being a Recovery Campus Student
Every student at the Recovery Campus is in recovery, and being in recovery means that students are building sober lifestyles in and out of school by cultivating connections with peers, having fun, and being a presence in the recovery community.
Daily recovery groups build shared accountability among students who support each other as they progress through key milestones of sobriety. The school also partners with community organizations who provide additional resources to students and families after school. Within a student-centered environment, the program promotes the Four Dimensions of Recovery: Health, Home, Purpose, and Community.
More than half of Recovery Campus students have more than one year of recovery following their initial enrollment. If you are interested in learning more about the school and the program, contact: Jessica Levy, MSW, Outreach Coordinator: jrlevy@seattleschools.org.
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