Wake Monarch Academy Raleigh

This Wake Monarch Academy Raleigh program serves adolescents and young adults ages 13 to 21 in grades 9 through 12. The academic program is college-preparatory, and recovery support runs alongside it during the same school day. Students do not have to choose between coursework and a stable recovery plan; both happen in one building with the same peers and staff.

The school's approach emphasizes community and accountability. Students practice honesty and responsibility with each other as part of daily school life. Peer relationships are treated as central to recovery, not as an extra, because classmates understand the pressures of adolescent substance use. The environment is designed to protect sobriety while students pursue academic and personal goals.

The school was started by Leah Wright, an educator now retired, whose motivation came from helping her own son through difficulties with substance use. In August 2021, Wake Monarch Academy became the Triangle area's first recovery high school. As a nonprofit, it meets its costs with tuition, fundraising, and donations. Families touched by adolescent substance use can find volunteer options and guidance here as well.

Wake Monarch Academy Raleigh programs

Wake Monarch Academy Raleigh provides co-occurring mental health and substance use support for adolescents and young adults. The plan for each student addresses both needs together rather than separately, which is important when mental health symptoms and substance use reinforce each other. Instruction is college-preparatory across grades 9 through 12, so credits earned count toward a standard diploma and goals after high school.

The program lists one-on-one counseling, group therapy, expressive arts, life skills, and relapse prevention counseling. Therapies are described as evidence-based and personalized to each student's needs and recovery goals. If a student's mental health symptoms and substance use keep feeding each other, then a plan that treats only one of them tends to fall apart, which is why both are handled in the same setting here.

• 1-on-1 Counseling
• Expressive Arts
• Life Skills
• Relapse Prevention Counseling
• Group Therapy
• Personalized Treatment
• Evidence-Based

Who this recovery high school serves

• Teenagers ages 13 to 21 who are working on recovery from a substance use disorder
• Young people in grades 9 through 12 who wish to keep pursuing a college-preparatory education
• Boys and girls who need an academic setting where sobriety is the norm, not the exception
• Young adults who are ready for structure, accountability, and honest peer relationships
• Families looking for guidance and volunteer ways to support a teen's recovery

Daily life for Wake Monarch Academy

The school sits at 824 N Bloodworth St in Raleigh and gives 30 days as the typical program length. A high school placement typically follows the academic calendar instead of one treatment episode, so families should ask how enrollment terms work. Students have air-conditioned rooms, desks, and access to a library. Activities include adventure outings, games, reading, and yoga. Instruction and support are provided in English.

• Library
• Desk
• Air-Conditioned Rooms

Paying for a Wake Monarch Academy

The academy runs as a nonprofit and meets expenses through tuition, fundraising, and donations. Insurance or Medicaid acceptance does not appear in the listing, so questions about cost are best put to the school itself. If a family hopes insurance will contribute, they should ask the school what documentation it can supply and check coverage with their plan before committing. The helpline can help a caller look into availability and coverage options across North Carolina, where SAMHSA FindTreatment.gov lists 430 facilities, and the call costs nothing and commits them to nothing.

Things to confirm before you enroll

• How does the school coordinate with a student's outpatient therapist or prescriber?
• How is a typical week structured, and how are academics and recovery support split in time?
• What are the current tuition figures, and what financial aid or payment arrangements exist?
• How are drug tests handled, and what happens after a relapse?
• Can we visit, meet current students, and see the classrooms before deciding?