Most American high schools probably have at least one real-life version of drugged-out surfer Jeff Spicoli in their senior class. Like the lovable but invariably stoned bad boy from "Fast Times at Ridgemont High," he's the one constantly crowing, "Hey bud, let's party!"

But unlike the Sean Penn character, today's high school party animals are not feeling as laid-back using the lunchroom as a drug den as they apparently did in Redondo Beach, circa 1979.

Once a happening drug marketplace with a captive audience ready to buy, the American high school is shedding its image as a place where drugs are done and drug deals get done. True, teen use of substances like Ecstasy and meth is still cause for concern, especially off school grounds and in the club scene. But in the hallways, bathrooms, and parking lots of high schools, drugs appear to be losing some of their foothold – a welcome development for administrators and teachers who have toiled to turn the tide against student drug use.

"People still do drugs, but they don't do them at school anymore," says Matt McKinney, a junior at Athens Drive High School in the west end in Raleigh, N.C.

These observations are backed up by a just-released survey that says that this year, for the first time, more than half of American teenagers say their schools are "drug free" – meaning they've seen no dealing, no stashing, no smoking. According to Columbia University's well-regarded National Survey of American Attitudes on Substance Abuse, 62 percent reported that they haven't seen drugs kept, used, or sold at school this year, up from 42 percent in 2000, and up from a low of 31 percent in 1998.

"My generation grew up watching 'Fast Times at Ridgemont High,' and today, that seems like a long ways away as far as drug use being that prevalent at school," says Mike Carr, a spokesman for the National Association of Secondary School Principals in Reston, Va.

While challenges clearly remain, experts cite a variety of reasons for the apparent progress so far. Many say that the 1994 federal antidrug act helped raise national awareness of what was once considered a local problem – and those efforts may just now be bearing fruit. What's more, recent ad campaigns that exhort parents to "talk to your kids about drugs" appear to be having an effect.

But the primary reason for sobering schools seems to be that years of "getting tough" on drug dealing in schools is wearing down the black market on campus. As Mr. Carr says, it's "getting them to think that having drugs at school is a really bad idea."

The trend, experts agree, is bolstered by new security measures in schools, more drug testing, and locally produced drug-abuse-awareness campaigns, often presented as straight talk rather than admonishment.

"Everybody's scared to death of being busted," says Matt, who wears a tie to school. "These days, most kids want to go to college. But if you get caught at school," he says, there could be harsh consequences.

Those who gauge teen attitudes on drugs say that the new study is an encouraging sign.

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