Frequently Asked Questions

Horizon High School is a recovery high school. It is a private, not-for-profit, student-centered, high school, dedicated to helping students succeed in an educational environment fostering emotional, social and academic growth. These students recovering from alcohol- and/or drug-abuse and require a smaller, intimate learning environment.

Recovery schools have been in existence since the late 1970s, though most opened in the late 1980s and 1990s. They offer supportive learning environments to youth who (1) have successfully completed Alcohol/Drug (AODA) treatment programs, or (2) are currently in counseling and struggling to stay alcohol and drug-free. As of late 2024 Horizon is one of 42 in existence around the U.S., as counted by the Association of Recovery Schools

A counselor, had been working with youth with AODA issues for over 20 years, and had seen the problems encountered by youth returning from treatment with some commitment to being alcohol and drug-free, only to return to their old schools and relapse. Recovery schools exist elsewhere - why not here? In March 2004, several parents of youth in recovery and the counselor began to talk about creating a recovery school here. We began to do research, contacting individuals involved in founding and running recovery schools elsewhere, as well as learning some of the negative lessons of two failed recovery schools (evaluations of those schools in AZ and IL were done by a UW-Madison faculty member, who is advising us). Two of our 6 founding members also are educators with over 44 combined years experience.

All schools have drug and alcohol-free policies and make efforts to keep drugs and alcohol out of their schools. Horizon is different because EVERY student at Horizon commits to being sober. All students and staff work to support each individual in their choice to be sober. Students receive daily recovery support and counseling at Horizon.

Experience and research have shown that students who have successfully completed AODA treatment programs and then return to the schools where they were involved with drugs and/or alcohol almost inevitably relapse and suffer further difficulties. At Horizon, we provide students with an opportunity to build on their successes as they re-engage in academic learning. We support the whole student in their academic endeavors and on their new path as a sober teen.

It is small, with a student to teaching and counseling staff ratio of CHANGE to 2:1. We currently have 7 full time staff members. In addition to our director and associate director, we have two teachers, two special education assistants and a licensed AODA counselor. The staff engage with the students and work with them one on one to support their education and recovery.

No, we are not a charter school. We receive no charter school funding. We are an independently self-organized non-profit high school serving the needs of young people which our traditional high schools have been unable to meet. We work closely with MMSD. MMSD contracts with Horizon High School to serve the needs of some of the MMSD school population. Other school districts also provide funds for some of their students to attend Horizon. Over the past 20 years we have served students from 19 area school districts. The majority of our funding comes from YOU, THE PUBLIC! THANK YOU FOR PROVIDING THE NECESSARY FUNDING TO KEEP US IN OPERATION SINCE 2005!!

Yes. Horizon High School is operated by Horizon High School of Madison, Inc. We incorporated with the WI Dept. of Financial Institutions on December 13, 2004. Our board of directors currently has 10 members, who themselves have strong backgrounds in counseling, education, finance, state government and the experience of parenting challenging youth. We are a 501(c)3, non-profit organization.

The WI Department of Public Instruction has a set of published administrative rules for private schools in the Wisconsin Administrative Code. There are 6 minimal requirements of private schools, and a school that fulfills these requirements can request "approval" of its educational program. 1. Its primary purpose is private or religious-based education, 2. It is privately controlled, 3. It provides at least 875 hours instruction/year, in 4. A sequentially progressive curriculum of fundamental instruction in reading, language arts, math, social studies, science and health, 5. The school's purpose is not to circumvent compulsory school attendance, and 6. Pupils return home annually for not less than 2 months of summer vacation. Beyond that, the rules only require that attendance records be kept, that the US flag be displayed, that there be monthly fire drills, and that school buses have insurance.

That is correct. The only requirement WI makes of teachers is that they have a chest x-ray or TB test prior to employment. At Horizon, we require that our teachers be certified and many of our staff has specific training in special education, counseling and trauma counseling.

Our large public high schools no doubt serve as efficient educational settings for many students, with many in-house teaching and learning resources. At the same time, many teachers believe they could be more effective -- make more of a difference in a student's life, provide more interaction and feedback -- if they had only, say, 10 students versus the 25-30 in today's schools. At Horizon,with one staff member per 2 students, students receive much more attention and issues with different learning styles can be addressed. We believe that HHS can provide an excellent education, utilizing the many rich resources in our community. Most importantly, without a school like HHS, some of our students would likely never graduate from high school at all.

Yes. Students can expect to graduate at the same time their original class graduates from high school, provided they have the requisite credits required by the state of Wisconsin. A student can receive a diploma from Horizon and from their home district school.

Yes! We assist students with college applications and standardized testing as needed. Some of our students have attended these institutions of higher learning: UW-Madison, UW-Eau Claire, UW-Whitewater, Edgewood, Arizona State University.

1. Students must WANT to be part of Horizon High School and agree to the school’s rules and expectations. No student will be accepted if the student is being coerced (by parents, guardian, court, etc).

2. While it is a best practice that students will have already been in some form of AODA/SUD treatment and/or AA/NA meetings, students who are committed to work on their substance use recovery will be considered on a case by case basis.

3. The new student must sign the Horizon High School Student Pledge and agree to its terms, including remaining alcohol and drug-free 24/7/365.

4. All students and parent/s or guardians must agree to random weekly or more often urine drug tests, to demonstrate the state of the student being free from drug and/or alcohol use.

5. The student agrees to immediately report any relapse to a member of the staff.

6. The student agrees, following a relapse, to follow the recommendations of the staff, to address the circumstances of the relapse.

7. Each applicant will be assessed as an individual with individual needs. If the student appears to meet the mission of HHS, the student will be considered for admission.

8. Students bringing drugs and alcohol to school property (including adjacent parking lot) are subject to immediate dismissal.

There are random weekly (or more frequent if necessary) UA tests given at the school. All students attending Horizon voluntarily agree to these tests.

There are currently CHANGE 40 to 42 recovery high schools around the country -- many are in Texas and Minnesota. Some are public, and some are private. There is also an Association of Recovery Schools (www.recoveryschools.org). Horizon is currently the only Recovery School in Wisconsin ADD, but there is now state funding for other communities in the State to help plan for other recovery schools.

Tuition is $6000 a semester, $12,000 for a whole school year. Tuition is pro-rated to the day a student is officially enrolled at Horizon. Payment plans are available. Some local school districts cover the cost of a student attending Horizon. Currently Madison Metropolitan School District supports students to attend Horizon. Several other districts including Oregon and Waunakee have historically contributed to aid in student tuition of prior students. PLEASE CONTACT HORIZON DIRECTLY TO FIND OUT ABOUT ALL OF YOUR TUITION ASSISTANCE OPTIONS. WE WORK WITH YOU AND YOUR HOME DISTRICT TO EXPLORE ALL OF YOUR FINANCIAL OPTIONS.

Horizon has a contract with MMSD to accept up to 15 MMSD students a year with no additional costs to each family. Parents with MMSD students should talk with Horizon High School Director Traci Gall about placement. Additionally, several other area districts have historically provided funds for students from their district to attend Horizon. Parents with students in other districts should talk with Director Traci Goll. The Horizon staff will work with you to explore all of your funding options.

Yes. Horizon High School values diversity, and does not discriminate on the basis of race, color, creed, national origin, gender, age, or handicap in its education programs or in its employment. Our current location at 659 N. Whitney Way is handicap accessible.

Yes. We are incorporated as a non-profit corporation in Wisconsin, have WI tax exempt status, and have 501(c)(3) charitable status from the IRS. If you would like to make tax-deductible contributions, contact us for details. All contributions assist us in providing this life-saving alternative educational opportunity for our students. School system contributions only cover 25-30% of the total costs of providing recovery school services to our students.

Contact our director, Traci Goll, 608-335-0387 (cell) or ttgoll@tds.net. If you would like more information or would like your community group or business to learn more about our school, we would be happy to have a speaker come talk to your group. Also, we have periodic events open to the public.