Admissions & enrollment

How a student enrolls at Serenity High.

There is no application fee and no admissions season, but there is a qualification process — Serenity High is not open enrollment. Placement happens when a family is ready — including in the middle of a semester, which is when most families arrive.

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Eligibility: By qualification and approved district transfer — decided case by case
Grades: 9–12 · ages 13–21
Start dates: Rolling — including mid-semester
Application: Interview and district transfer, not a competitive application
Campus: 2550 Wilmeth Road, McKinney, TX 75071

Eligibility

Who Serenity High can serve

Serenity High enrolls adolescents who are in recovery from substance use disorder, want a Texas high school diploma, and are prepared to pursue both in a chemical-free environment.

Historically, the school has served students returning from a recognized substance abuse treatment program. Recovery high schools more broadly are open to any student in recovery who meets state and district eligibility requirements, and completing a specific treatment program is not universally required. Where your student falls is exactly the question to bring to the first phone call.

Generally a good fit

A student in grades 9–12 who has completed a recognized treatment program and needs a school environment that will not undo it.
A student actively engaged in outpatient care or a twelve-step program who cannot stay sober at their current campus.
A student who lost credits to treatment and needs a faster, more individual route back to a diploma.
A student managing recovery alongside anxiety, depression, trauma, or ADHD with outside clinical support in place.
A family living in McKinney, Frisco, Plano, Allen, Prosper, Melissa, Anna, Princeton, Wylie, or another partner district.

Where another option may come first

A student who has not yet had a clinical assessment or any treatment — assessment usually needs to come before school placement.
A student in acute crisis or who needs detox or inpatient stabilization. Recovery school follows that care; it does not replace it.
A student who is unwilling to commit to recovery. Enrollment is voluntary and a parent cannot make that commitment on a teenager’s behalf.

If your student is in the second group today, call anyway. We will point you toward the right level of care in Collin County and keep the door open for when the timing changes. Our resource directory lists free and sliding-scale assessment options.

What to have ready

None of this is required for the first call, but it speeds the process once you decide to move.

Current transcript or report card
Name of the home campus and district
Treatment discharge summary, if applicable
Current provider or counselor contact
IEP or 504 documentation, if applicable
Proof of residence and immunization records

Qualifying is the gate

Serenity High is not open enrollment, and not every student who applies is placed. Qualification depends on where your student is in recovery, their commitment to it, their credit situation, and your home district’s approval of the transfer.

Campus staff will tell you on the first call whether this is the right next step for your student — and if it is not, what in Collin County probably is. Ask about transportation and about dual-credit coursework in the same conversation.

A school campus seen through an open gate on an autumn morning

There is no wrong time to call

Most families reach us in the middle of the hardest month of their lives.

You do not need paperwork in hand, a diagnosis, or a plan. Enrollment is rolling, mid-semester starts are normal, and the first step is a conversation rather than an application.

Call (469) 302-7830

The process

Four steps, in this order

Each step exists to answer a specific question, and the order matters — a campus visit before a real conversation tends to overwhelm a student who is already fragile.

The first conversation

Call the campus and describe your situation. Expect to talk about where your student is in recovery, what treatment they have had, what their credit picture looks like, and what is happening at home.

The question this answers: is Serenity High the right environment for this student right now, or does something clinical need to happen first?
The campus visit and student interview

Your student comes to campus, sees the classroom, meets staff, and talks about what they want. Parents are part of the visit, but there is also a portion where the student speaks for themselves.

The question this answers: is the student willing to make this commitment? Recovery school only works when the answer comes from them.
Records, transfer, and credit mapping

We coordinate the district transfer with your home campus, request the official transcript, and build the credit map — what is banked, what is partial, what needs recovery, and the realistic graduation date. Residency, immunization, and any 504 or IEP documentation are handled here.

The question this answers: what does the path to a diploma actually look like, in months?
First day, with a plan already in place

A student starts with a graduation plan, a recovery support plan, a relapse-prevention plan, and a named staff member responsible for all three. Families receive a communication plan so they know how and when they will hear from the school.

The question this answers: what happens Monday morning — and what happens the first time something goes wrong?

Transfers from outside McKinney ISD

If your student attends another Collin County district

Serenity High is operated by McKinney ISD and has historically served students from districts across Collin County and the surrounding area, among them Allen, Anna, Blue Ridge, Celina, Community, Frisco, Lewisville, Melissa, Pilot Point, Plano, Prosper, Tioga, and Wylie ISDs.

A transfer typically involves your home district approving the placement and the two districts coordinating records. Campus staff handle most of that coordination. What families need to do is start the conversation early enough that the paperwork is not the thing delaying a student’s start.

Transfer agreements change over time. If you do not see your district named, call and ask — the answer is often yes, and when it is not, we can usually name the nearest alternative.

Districts and communities we serve

Mid-year enrollment

Most families do not discover recovery high school in August. They discover it in February, three weeks after a discharge, when it becomes obvious that returning to the old campus is not going to work. Serenity enrolls on a rolling basis for exactly that reason.

Transportation

Ask campus staff about current transportation arrangements for your district. Families commuting from Frisco, Plano, Allen, or Prosper should raise it on the first call so it is solved before it becomes an attendance problem.

Privacy

Student education records are protected under FERPA, and coordination with an outside treatment provider happens only with the appropriate signed consent. Nothing about a student’s treatment history travels back to a home campus as gossip.

Start here

One phone call is the whole first step.

No forms, no commitment, no judgment about how long it took to pick up the phone.

Call (469) 302-7830 Send a message instead