High School
The Emily’s Hope high school curriculum equips students in grades 9–12 with the knowledge, skills and strategies to navigate substances, pressure, and stress in a format flexible enough to fit any high school schedule.
24 lessons across 8 topic areas. Teach them in any grade, in any sequence, in health, science, or counseling. 100% digital.
Why High School? Why Now?
The stakes change in high school. The substances are more dangerous, the pressure is more sophisticated, and the decisions are more independent, while the decision-making brain is still under construction.
The majority
of adults with a substance use disorder started using during their teen and young adult years.
73%
of teens who use substances do so to feel “mellow, calm, or relaxed,” which is why this curriculum teaches healthy coping, not just refusal.
CDC, 2004
Still developing
The prefrontal cortex, the brain’s center for decision-making and impulse control, is still maturing through the teen years.
That’s why Emily’s Hope goes beyond “just say no.” We do that by pairing straight talk about today’s drug supply with the emotional, social and resistance skills students need to protect themselves and each other.
The Curriculum Features:
🧠 Science-Based Learning
Explores the developing adolescent brain and how alcohol, nicotine and vaping, cannabis, opioids and emerging substances interfere with it.
🎙️ Real Stories. Real Experts.
Documentary shorts, physician interviews and the voices of families who have lost children to fentanyl poisoning bring an authenticity that resonates with teens.
🧭 Built-In Flexibility
Lessons stand on their own. Teach all 24, follow a ready-made route, or build your own in any grade (9–12), taught by health teachers, science teachers or counselors.
🤝 Social-Emotional & Resistance Skills
We teach the protective skills research says matter most: Emotional regulation, self-esteem and resiliency, navigating pressure, assertive communication and advocacy.
📲 Current & 100% Digital
Everything in our high school curriculum lives in the Teacher Hub and is continuously updated as new threats like fake pills, high-potency THC, kratom, and 7-OH emerge.
🧭 Built by a Nonprofit
Created by Emily’s Hope and a team of experts. We know funding can be a challenge. As a nonprofit, we’re committed to keeping this accessible. Our priority is getting life-saving education into classrooms.
The curriculum is designed for flexible implementation, allowing educators to adapt lessons based on classroom needs while maintaining fidelity to core learning objectives.
Eight Topics. One Goal.
Instead of grade-by-grade units, the high school curriculum is organized into the same eight topic areas students know from K-8, each one age-appropriate for any student in grades 9–12. You decide which topics fit your students, your course and your community.
TOPIC 1
My Body
2 lessons + review
- My Body Review Lesson
- My Body – Response to Stress
- My Body – Response to Substances
TOPIC 2
My Brain
2 lessons + review
- My Brain Review Lesson
- My Brain – Response to Stress
- My Brain – Response to Substances
TOPIC 3
Emotions
4 lessons + review
- Emotions Review Lesson
- Connecting the Dots
- Keeping Them Healthy
- Emotions, Self-esteem, and Resiliency
- Stigma, Stereotypes, and Emotions
TOPIC 4
Pressures
3 lessons + review
- Pressures Review Lesson
- Handle With Care
- What’s At Stake – Inside/Outside
- Pressures and Choices – The Why
TOPIC 5
Your Health/My Health
3 lessons + review
- Your Health/My Health Review Lesson
- Healthy Habits
- Social Media – The Good and the Bad
- My Communities
TOPIC 6
Medication Safety
3 lessons + review
- Medication Safety Review Lesson
- Helpful vs Harmful
- The REALity of the Fake
- Lifesaving-Tools and Strategies
TOPIC 7
My Brain on Substances
4 lessons
- Ins and Outs of Pharmacokinetics
- Substances and Their Effects
- Use, Misuse, Legal, and Illegal
- A Deeper Dive into the Dangers of Cannabis and the Developing Brain
TOPIC 8
Substance Use Disorder
3 lessons
- Understanding SUD
- Understanding Stigma
- Treatment and Recovery
Six optional review lessons carry forward key concepts from the 6-8 curriculum, perfect for students new to Emily’s Hope. Each lesson is designed for a 50-minute learning session; richer lessons include guidance for extending across multiple sessions.
Choose Your Route
No two high schools schedule health education the same way. That’s why the high school curriculum ships with five ready-made implementation routes — from a focused seven-lesson essential path to the full journey. Every route works in a single grade or spread across all four years.
The Capstone of K-12 — or a Strong Start
Continuing from Emily’s Hope K-8?
High school lessons build directly on the foundation from earlier grades. The same eight topics, same vocabulary, deeper application. Students step into familiar territory at a more mature level.
New to Emily’s Hope?
No problem. The high school curriculum stands completely on its own, and six optional review lessons bring every student up to speed before diving into high school content.
One Simple Plan
Because the high school curriculum is fully digital, pricing is simple: one plan with full access to every lesson, route, video and assessment in the Teacher Hub.
Priced per school site, per year, based on enrollment
What’s Included:
- Full access to our interactive Teacher Hub, including:
- All 24 lessons + 6 optional review lessons
- Web & PDF lesson plans
- Interactive and printable student activities
- All five implementation routes
- Explainer animated videos, documentary shorts & physician interviews
- Pre- and post-lesson assessments
- Self-paced Educator Training Center
- Ongoing email support from our team
- Continuous content updates as new substances and threats emerge
Every School Deserves Access
We know funding can be a challenge. As a nonprofit, we’re committed to keeping this accessible, and we’re here to work with you. Our priority is getting life-saving education into classrooms.
We offer funding guides and financial support. Go to emilyshopeedu.org/funding for details.
Teacher Hub
All lessons and activities are easily accessible through our teacher portal. Designed for flexibility, the portal supports different student needs, schedules and learning levels-while helping educators feel confident in guiding the material.
Additional Resources
Development
By employing proven practices in school-based curriculum design1, Emily’s Hope ensures that its educational tools are rooted in evidence-based principles.
Emily’s Hope 6-12 Prevention Education Committee
Our dedicated middle & high school committee consists of experienced professionals from various fields, including education, medicine, and addiction counseling.
Alignment
Each lesson is aligned with National Health Education Standards2 and the American School Counselor Association (ASCA) Mindsets and Behaviors3.
Future Directions & Expansion
Emily’s Hope is continuously expanding the curriculum to include more resources, with a focus on:
- Enhancing teacher training through workshops, implementation guides, and fidelity checklists.
- Developing additional materials, including animations and educator support tools.
- Conducting longitudinal research to measure the curriculum’s long-term effects on student behavior and substance use rates.
- Parental education to inform parents of the dangers of current illicit drug supply and why their children must receive this timely curriculum.
- Consumable classroom materials.
- Benita Manzengo, Molly Stevens. Promising and Best Practices in School-Based Drug Prevention: Evaluation of the Emily’s Hope Pilot Curriculum. Beacom Research Fellows – Augustana Research Institute. 2024 April. ↩︎
- National Consensus for School Health Education. (2022). National Health Education Standards: Model Guidance for Curriculum and Instruction (3rd Edition) www.schoolhealtheducation.org ↩︎
- American School Counselor Association (2021). ASCA Content Standards; Mindsets and Behaviors for Student Success. Alexandria, VA: Author ↩︎