How We Support Your Child

Balanced Expertise

Focused partnership and equal excellence in education and recovery.

Real Fellowship

Tight-knit mix of staff and strong-to-struggling student support.

Intimate Size

Meaningful connection and personalized pathway for every student.

Deep Support System

Layers of accountability and communication within school and across continuum of care.

Fierce Love

Unrelenting joy and faith in helping people uncover the best version of themselves.

The Best Parts
of Public

We challenge our students because we know they’re capable.

Archway isn’t just a place for recovery where you might also scoop a few easy credits. With papers and projects, quizzes and class changes, students go through a normal school day like any other high schooler, with the exception of daily check-in sessions, closer supervision, and easy access to recovery support as needed.

Academic rigor

Our curriculum, provided by Southwest Schools, is flexible but demanding. Southwest Schools is a public, Texas-based charter school governed by the Texas Education Agency (TEA), which means everything that happens at a traditional public school also happens at Archway—state testing, special education services, P.E. and electives, the PSAT, college fairs, student council, and academic rigor. Archway students can qualify under the “Top 10%” rule that offers eligibility for automatic admission to any Texas public university to students ranked in the top ten percent of their class.

Post-grad success

94% of Archway graduates attend college after Archway. They attend schools like Baylor, the University of Texas, the University of Houston, Texas Tech, Ole Miss, St. Thomas, St. Edwards, Houston Baptist University, Houston Community College, Lonestar, and many other out-of-state universities.

Our students are hardworking, highly intelligent, and exhibit a remarkable degree of self-awareness and acuity that opens doors to equally remarkable futures.

Next: The Best Parts
of Private

Everyone’s pathway through recovery is unique.

We believe we can’t truly help you until we truly know you, so we structure ourselves accordingly. With a total population hovering around 60-70 students, Archway operates much more like a private school.

Individualized approach

Small class sizes and low student-teacher ratios allow us to catch our students wherever they are and personalize a program that’s best for them—one that takes into account their sobriety and commitment level; Alternative Peer Group and therapeutic network; medical and psychosocial history; talents and interests (they’re still in there!); and emotional and academic progress.

Rolling admissions

We’ve never turned a student away, nor do we require a student to stay. Archway’s rolling admissions policy allows students to enter at any time during the semester, and Southwest Schools’ flexible curriculum enables students to catch up on coursework they may have missed prior to admission. We realize students are coming from other lives. Whether they return to their initial high school a semester later or go on to graduate with Archway, we’re here to be whatever we need to be for your family.

Next: The Right Kind
of Peer Pressure

Students are the secret. The change agent. The magic.

We believe all behavior is contagious—especially positive—and that students will adjust to whatever cultural norm is set. For this reason we remain vigilant and fiercely protective of our school’s community, which is open and intimate.

Our balance of strong-to-struggling students fosters an environment of accountability and encouragement—where many might see a school of users, the reality is that Archway is full of people fighting to be the best version of themselves. Gritting their teeth, baring their soul, bolstering each other, every day. The road to recovery is not easy or short-lived, but no one can better empathize than the peers along that path who’ve had to discover those same hard truths.

And for many of our staff, we aren’t asking our students to do anything that we haven’t done, or pushing them to places where we haven’t been. The respect, hope, and fellowship this inspires is real and powerful.

At the end of the day, our students are the ones who challenge, who champion, and who ultimately change each other. Our job is to ensure the conditions are right.

Next: Layers of Love
& Support

Collaboration is critical here.

Archway is only one piece of the puzzle in guiding students through recovery. We cast a safety net deep and wide to connect the continuum of care that supports students across every aspect of their recovery.

From probation officers to private counselors, residential treatment clinicians to Alternative Peer Groups, we keep in constant touch with every student’s unique personal network—triaging tasks and arming our students (and each other) with shared information to ensure that no important details slip through the cracks, to address behaviors and remove barriers, and to remain consistent and aligned in our approach to getting each student well.

We understand and adore our students profoundly—even when it’s as far from mutual as you could imagine. We are sensitive to the nuances of every family’s situation, yet we are also clear and firm about our expectations for student behavior. We prepare our students for life beyond high school and believe we can each take responsibility and action to help maximize their options.

Next: The Best Parts
of Public

Why should you choose Archway over a traditional high school?

In the United States, 70-80% of students relapse upon returning to their local high school after having primary treatment for substance use disorders, and studies support that recovery high schools are a better option for those students who need extra support. As one of only two high schools in the Greater Houston area and one of nine in the entire state of Texas, Archway Academy provides a supportive environment for students to maintain their sobriety and receive a high school diploma. We are members of the Association of Recovery High Schools and we have also partnered with four Alternative Peer Groups (APGs)—Adventure Learning Program, Palmer Drug Abuse Program, Unlimited Visions, and Teen and Family Services—to bridge the gap between sober high schools and peer support and to serve more students in the Houston area needing help with recovery.

Students who receive ongoing support for substance use issues have higher graduation rates, lower absentee rates, and are more likely to abstain from using substances. In addition, Archway Academy’s model is heavily reliant on the involvement of parents and loved ones to help ensure the success of our student body. They play an integral role in their student’s journey of recovery and will receive the same guidance, support, and encouragement from our staff while connecting with other Archway parents and our community.

Source: recovery.org

Next: The Best Parts
of Public

We promise our students…

TO CREATE a supportive and enthusiastic environment for your recovery and education.

TO WORK collaboratively with your Alternative Peer Group (APG), counselors, family, and any other relevant parties in supporting your emotional, social, mental, physical, academic, and spiritual development.

TO PROVIDE brief counseling interventions if necessary, to address any behavioral, emotional, and/or recovery issues that surface while at school.

TO OFFER opportunities for daily “check-in” and “closing” so you can work through issues that may stand in the way of your educational process each day.

TO PERFORM random and frequent drug tests, reinforcing your accountability and ensuring your compliance with our Mission.

TO LISTEN to you and hold you accountable with love.