“In the state of Tennessee, 61,000 young people between twelve and seventeen years old are suffering with drug abuse,” said Mary Katsikas, Executive Vice President of the McNabb Center, at the groundbreaking ceremony of the expansion of the Elevate Recovery program for high school students. Elevate is a safe haven for teens recovering from substance use while continuing their educational goals to graduate on time.

Of the 45 recovery high schools in the United States, Elevate is the only one in Tennessee. The high school opened its doors in 2021 and has served 171 students since then. The new, stand alone 13,000 square foot building is taking form next to the school’s current location on the John Tarleton campus in the heart of Knoxville. The expansion will triple the program’s student capacity from twenty to sixty students by adding three classrooms, treatment and office spaces, a student lounge and an outdoor classroom—all created intentionally for students to recover, learn and thrive.

The Elevate program was designed with a holistic approach to meet the needs of youth who struggle with co-occurring disorders. Knox County School educators instruct academic courses to keep students on track to graduate while McNabb Center clinicians, peer mentors, case managers and staff provide group therapy, individual therapy and case management, and teach life and social skills.

According to the National Institute of Health, eighty percent of teenagers who receive recovery services and return to their home high schools will relapse. Elevate is an alternative for students not to go back to the same environment they are most at risk in. Instead, individuals can feel a sense of belonging in a structured, support system for their mental health, sobriety and education—this is noticeable through the school’s ninety-two percent attendance rate.

The Elevate Capital Campaign, which was the largest fundraising campaign in the Center’s 77-year history, raised 9.25 million dollars. Thanks to funding from the Knox County government, private foundations, banks, individuals and the Helen Ross McNabb Foundation, the expansion of Tennessee’s first public recovery-based high school went from a vision to reality.

Elevate staff members are dedicated to treating substance abuse with compassion and meeting the individual educational needs of each student. The new facility for this program is expected to be complete December 2026.