About Coastal Prep High School

Coastal Prep opened in March 2019 as New Jersey’s third recovery high school. Middle Township School District was selected for the only state grant to plan this kind of innovative and much-needed program, and it partnered with Cape Assist to develop a blend of academic resources and recovery support. That grant targeted southern counties of Atlantic, Burlington, Cape May, Camden, Cumberland, Gloucester, Ocean, and Salem. Coastal Prep funding covers academics, recovery supports, and transportation. Costs for families and school districts are contingent on the balance of remaining yearly grant funding allocations.

Recovery high schools meet some of the challenges that adolescents face after they emerge from a more intense recovery environment. Resuming school brings a layer of stress; immediately returning to their home school can be a relapse risk. In New Jersey and other states, recovery high schools serve as supportive transition points. Programs like Coastal Prep keep students on track toward graduation requirements while providing specialized support for addiction recovery.

Students from other New Jersey counties can attend Raymond J. Lesniak Recovery High School in Union County, which opened in 2014, or K.E.Y.S. Academy Recovery High School in Monmouth County, which opened in 2018. Planners relied on the experiences of these vanguard programs to develop Coastal Prep for students living in the state’s southern half.