PASCO COUNTY, Fla. — Tampa Bay’s first recovery high school is marking a milestone in the new year. Victory High School held its grand opening five years ago this month. It’s an option for students struggling with drugs and alcohol to receive an education without going back to familiar places or people that can cause them to fall back into old patterns.

What You Need To Know

Victory High School turns five years old in 2026

The recovery school is a place where students struggling with drugs and alcohol can receive an education based on their needs and away from old temptations

Its founder says more than 150 students have been served, with 23 receiving diplomas and 58% successfully transitioning to public schools

Graduates say that while they were reluctant to attend Victory at first, the school met them where they were and provided a pathway forward

“It feels like 50 years since we started,” said Tina Miller, founder and executive director of Florida Recovery Schools of Tampa Bay. “It’s been a lot of ups and downs, but overall, the quality of the services and the connections we have made with students have just been remarkable.”

The school held its annual Golfing For Victory fundraiser at Innisbrook Golf Resort in Palm Harbor on November 17. It was the third year in a row that Alex and Chris Finch took part.

“Today, we did pretty good,” Alex said.

“I really enjoy getting the time to come out here on a beautiful day and spend it with my son. I’m just so proud of him,” said Chris.

Spectrum News first spoke with the father and son duo when they were practicing for the 2024 event. It’s a cause that’s close to both of their hearts.

“I went to Victory because I was having problems with drugs and also just problems with how I was acting,” said Alex. “I remember even thinking through my mind, ‘I don’t want to do college. I don’t want to do baseball for much longer, and I just want to do my own thing.'”

But in 2024, Alex graduated from Victory and is now playing baseball for Bryant & Stratton College in Virginia Beach while studying business. He said Victory helped him develop the mindset to succeed.

“In public school, I was maybe kind of over thinking or worried about small things. In Victory, they’re very open, and if maybe even you’re just not having a good day, you can open up and talk about that,” he said.

“It’s not a typical school, where you sit at a desk and chair for six-to-eight hours,” said Miller. “It’s self-directed, it’s self-paced.”

Miller opened the first Victory High School in Pasco County in 2021. Two more followed in Pinellas and Hillsborough counties. She said the schools have served more than 150 students. Twenty-three have earned diplomas, and 58% successfully transitioned into public schools.

“That’s really what we’re doing with the majority of our students is we stabilize them emotionally and mentally, and then they actually go and transition into a traditional school,” she said.

For some, traditional school wasn’t the answer.

“I never thought I would be where I am today,” said James Guerin.

The first time Spectrum News interviewed Guerin, he was taking part in an equine therapy program offered through Victory in 2022.

“When I was a kid, I was being stupid – doing drugs, got sent to a very abusive rehab program that just kept me spiraling even deeper. So, I got into harder drugs, got into more fights, stuff like that,” he said.

Guerin said Victory met him where he was rather than forcing him to work towards recovery in one certain way.

“There were days I would come in and Tina would tell me, ‘Sometimes, amends is just working on other people who were in the same spot you were.’ Little things like that, where it was just a slight switch-up from what I was taught prior to make it digestible for me,” Guerin said.

Since graduating in 2022, James has become a mentor to current students. He said he’s less than a semester from earning his associate in arts degree from St. Petersburg College and plans to study biochemistry at the University of Tampa.

“My dream is to end up being either a neurosurgeon or a cardiovascular surgeon, but one step at a time,” he said. “No matter where I end up right now, it’s better than where I thought I’d be.”

Alex’s dad, Chris, called Victory a lifesaver. He said the school gives students breathing room to get into a good head space and move forward from there.

“What makes me so proud of him is everything he does today is his decision. He wants to go to school. He wants to play ball. He wants to work hard, and I couldn’t be more proud of him,” said Chris. 

Victory is a nonprofit and relies on donations and grants. Anyone interested in becoming a donor can visit this web site.