The topic of the week was scribbled on a whiteboard in the school’s hallway — the science of addiction.

One day, students learned about the “disease of addiction.” On another: “how drugs work.” There were lessons about dopamine and withdrawal, about how to cope with cravings.

At the newly opened RISE Academy in Loudoun County, the curriculum is designed to allow students who struggle with substance use and addiction continue their schooling in a supportive environment while receiving treatment. The public school is the first of its kind in Northern Virginia, and the second in the state.

Loudoun County Public Schools began pushing for the recovery school in 2024 following a string of youth overdoses around Northern Virginia. It opened this fall, and five students had enrolled as of mid-O

See Full Page