Elevate Recovery High School

According to the 2019 Monitoring the Future survey conducted by the National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA), which tracks drug use trends among American youth in the United States, approximately 35.7% of 12th graders, 29.9% of 10th graders, and 17.6% of 8th graders reported using illicit drugs at least once in their lifetime. The most commonly used illicit drugs among high school students were marijuana, followed by prescription medications (such as opioids, stimulants, and tranquilizers) used non-medically. Out of the 452 overdose deaths in Knoxville in 2021, 32% were of those ages 0-24.

The McNabb Center has responded to the need for adolescent substance use disorder recovery services by creating the Elevate Recovery High School. Elevate is a community partnership between the McNabb Center and Knox County Schools as well as other community organizations to provide a unique program where high school students receive their individual and group intensive outpatient services and academic programming on a flexed schedule, and learn and work on their sobriety in a stigma-free safe environment

The Helen Ross McNabb Foundation is launching a $9.2 million capital funds campaign in support of expanding the existing Elevate Recovery High School program. Funds raised for Elevate will be restricted to construction of the school building, which will be a standalone, 13,000-square-foot high school consisting of three traditional classrooms, an outdoor classroom, a virtual classroom, cafeteria, group and individual treatment rooms and office spaces.