An estimated 1.3 million 12-to-17-year-olds have a substance abuse disorder. Youths between 12 and 19 account for nearly 12 percent of admissions to publicly funded rehab facilities, and about half of all students who return to traditional schools after treatment relapse within a year. Teens who relapse are less likely to stay in school.
Proponents say recovery high schools such as Ostiguy greatly reduce the chances of a relapse and ultimately save taxpayers money by diverting a teenager from the criminal justice system.
As the nation struggles with an opioid-addiction epidemic, states increasingly have experimented with recovery high schools to help kids with drug and alcohol problems.
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