. >> reporter: francie wilcox and nick shirkey are two of about 30 students who attend hope academy in indianapolis. all of them have struggled with substance abuse. >> thank you for taking part in the circle and your willingness to support the community. >> reporter: twice a week, their day starts here, in a circle modeled after the teachings of alcoholics anonymous. students lay out their goals... >> what will life be like when i'm clean? >> reporter: their regrets... >> reporter: ...and their sobriety dates. >> my clean date is july 17th. >> reporter: hope academy is one of nearly 40 recovery schools in the u.s. when it comes to kicking a drug habit, experts say simply being young is a major hurdle. only half of treatment centers across the country accept teenagers. that's why recovery schools like these are becoming increasingly popular. >> i get a call probably once a week from somebody saying, "hey, i saw your school, we really want to start a school, how did you start that, can you help us?" >> reporter: in 2006, rachelle gardner started hope academy to help students who have fa