The questions families actually ask on the first call.

A recovery high school is a secondary school designed specifically for students in recovery from substance use disorder or co-occurring disorders. It provides a full, state-recognized diploma program alongside daily recovery support, staffed by teachers, counselors, and mental health professionals. It is a real school with real graduation requirements — not a treatment program and not an alternative-discipline campus. Roughly 45 recovery high schools operate in the United States; seven are in Texas, and three of those are public schools.

Yes. Serenity High is a public recovery high school operated within McKinney Independent School District and accredited by the Texas Education Agency. It is not open enrollment, though — students have to qualify, and placement runs through an approved district transfer rather than a standard registration form. Campus staff will walk your family through what applies to your student, including transportation and dual-credit coursework through Collin College.

Yes. Serenity High is accredited by the Texas Education Agency. Students complete the State of Texas graduation requirements under the Foundation High School Program, sit the same STAAR end-of-course exams, and receive a standard Texas high school diploma. The transcript does not describe a student’s recovery history.

Serenity High has historically served adolescents returning from a recognized substance abuse treatment program. More broadly, recovery high schools are open to students in recovery who meet state and district eligibility requirements, and completing a specific treatment program is not universally required. Where your student falls is the first thing to discuss on a phone call — and if a clinical assessment or a higher level of care needs to come first, we will tell you that plainly.

Grades 9 through 12. Students enroll on a rolling basis, including mid-semester, because that is when most families need it.

The school runs on a 10:1 student-to-teacher ratio by design, and the campus is deliberately small — typically under twenty students. Staff describe it as a campus where a student cannot hide, which is exactly the intent: a student who is starting to struggle gets noticed the same day.

Relapse is treated as a clinical event, not automatically as a disciplinary one. Between 65 and 80 percent of adolescents relapse within three months of leaving treatment, and a school built for students in recovery has to plan for that honestly. The response depends on safety, severity, and honesty — it may mean a return to a higher level of care, an adjusted schedule, or a revised support plan. Families and outside providers are brought into the conversation immediately.

Serenity High has served students from districts across Collin County and the surrounding area, including 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, with the two districts coordinating records. Campus staff handle most of that coordination. Start early so paperwork is not what delays your student’s first day.

The opposite is more common. Serenity runs four instructional modes at once — traditional instruction, self-paced study, online coursework, and dual credit with Collin College — so a student can recover a specific missing half-credit in weeks rather than repeating an entire year. Before the first full day, staff build a credit map showing exactly what is banked, what is partial, and the realistic graduation date.

Yes. Serenity High offers dual-credit instruction in conjunction with Collin College. Students earn high school and college credit simultaneously, and many graduates carry college hours with them.

AA and NA meetings are held on campus, along with facilitated recovery groups, daily check-ins, one-on-one academic and personal counseling, life-skills mentoring, peer accountability groups, team-building activities, and community service projects. Recovery is part of the schedule rather than something a student is expected to manage alone after hours.

No. UIL rules do not permit participation at the home campus while a student is enrolled at Serenity. Families consistently tell us this is the hardest trade-off in the decision, so it is worth raising early rather than discovering it after enrollment.

Participation in recovery programming during the school day is part of the commitment every student makes. Meetings are held on campus specifically so participation does not depend on a family’s transportation or schedule. Students are welcomed regardless of race, gender, religion, or social standing.

Student education records are protected under FERPA. Coordination with an outside treatment provider or therapist happens only with the appropriate signed consent. On campus, every student is in recovery, which is precisely what removes the burden of keeping a secret during the school day.

The campus sits at 2550 Wilmeth Road in McKinney, and families commute from across Collin County — Frisco, Plano, Allen, Prosper, Melissa, Anna, Princeton, Wylie, and beyond. Transportation is worth raising on the first call so it is solved before it becomes an attendance problem.

Call anyway. We speak with families every week who are still seeking an assessment, still deciding on treatment, or still trying to get a teenager to admit there is a problem. We keep a directory of Collin County assessment, counseling, and crisis resources, including free and sliding-scale options, and we will tell you honestly what we know about the local system.