P.E.A.S.E. Academy: an acronym for Peers Enjoying a Sober Education, is the oldest recovery high school in the United States, serving students in recovery since February 1989. Located in the heart of Dinkytown, P.E.A.S.E. Academy offers an incredible array of opportunities that can be found at the University of Minnesota and the thriving metropolitan area of the Twin Cities.

P.E.A.S.E. Academy is a campus of Minnesota Transitions Charter School and is open to qualifying students from any school district in Minnesota. We are an accredited four-year high school whose graduates have gone on to the Step Up Program at Augsburg College, University of Minnesota – Twin Cities and Duluth, Metropolitan State University, Minneapolis College of Art and Design, North Dakota State University, and numerous community and technical colleges throughout the metropolitan area. P.E.A.S.E. Academy encourages all students to plan for post-secondary education and assists students in realizing these goals.

Our Mission

P.E.A.S.E. Academy staff, students, families, and board create a community to:

  • Acknowledge and affirm individuals
  • Support responsible choices that strengthen sobriety
  • Develop each individual’s capacity to succeed
  • Empower students to grow in mind, body, and spirit
  • Encourage the search for a greater sense of purpose
  • Celebrate each day of living in recovery

P.E.A.S.E. Academy is committed to:

  • Service learning requirement for graduation

  • Providing a safe, sober community based on recovery principles, where diversity is both respected and valued

  • Protecting the health of our sober community and addressing student struggles with sobriety

  • Staff who are knowledgeable and supportive of chemical dependency and recovery issues

  • A learning environment which is challenging, nurturing, and safe

  • Maintaining a small supportive school environment with a maximum enrollment of 70 students

  • A teaching ratio of 1 teacher to 17 students

  • Helping students define their own unique vision for a productive and healthy future

  • Supporting students as they develop deeper self-awareness and inner strength, more meaningful social relationships, and a great sense of purpose

  • Acknowledging the potential of each student to achieve academic success and unlimited personal growth

  • Practicing a restorative justice model to address conflicts and helping the community gain deeper understanding through respecting every voice

  • Increasing students’ cognitive capabilities in the areas of language skills, critical thinking, and mathematical reasoning

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