HORIZON HIGHSCHOOL

About us

Horizon High School is an emotional growth, recovery high school. This means that although there are aspects of the program targeted at teens in recovery, anyone that needs an alternative to a traditional high school setting is welcome.The classroom setting is small, in order to promote an individualized curriculum and to allow for students' needs. Horizon High School's guideline for enrollment is to maintain a student-teacher ratio of five to one. Currently Horizon has a part time counselor, full time teacher and part time director. As more students enroll, more staffing will be considered. Our student population varies and is usually between 6-9 students.

To maintain an engaging and educational atmosphere, Horizon High School incorporates guest speakers and field trips. Generally, an outing is planned every week. Speakers who highlight many topics of interest, particularly related to recovery, make occasional presentations.

Since our creation, we have served over 60 young people. Today many of these are enrolled in colleges and colleage universities, employed, or in the military.

Curriculum

The Horizon High School curriculum integrates interest groups and differentiates students based upon their career goals and academic needs. Institutional approaches focus on discussion and hands-on rather than busy-work. However, there are classes that students need to take, both to fulfill credit standards and to have a traditional classroom experience in preparation for post-secondary career or vocational goals.

Our History

In March 2004, 6 individuals (mostly parents with kids in recovery) got together for coffee at SunPrint on Odana Road, to discuss the concept that one of us (Shelly Dutch) described as essential for teens struggling with alcohol and drugs: recovery schools, where our kids could go after getting out of AODA treatment. We started doing research and found there were about 20 around the country, with most in Minnesota. Another member of the group had intimate knowledge of the local school system and advised that attempting to charter would probably not succeed. That November we received a $10,000 gift from a family, which was enough to start up. In December we incorporated, got all the paperwork together, hired a young teacher and in late January 2005 opened operation with 5 students in a church basement. Soon we had 9. And as they say, the rest is history.

For more information, contact:
Traci Goll, Director
608.335.0387
ttgoll@tds.net


Or write to:
Horizon High School
P.O. Box 45045
Madison, WI 53744in

5005 University Ave
Suite 130
608.442.0935