West Ridge Academy

I am rating this a five star program. Those who claim that the only ones giving positive feedback are staff members of this program really need to open up their eyes and look at the other reviews of people saying that they found it helpful personally. I attended this school for various different reason about two years ago and it was extremely helpful and definitely saved my life. Those who claim that the school "crushes the kids spirits" or have "the dumbest people running it" obviously haven't attended it, or have attended it yet were the students who were stubborn and fought against the staff and the program. I was associated with this school for a very long time and I never once saw abuse from the staff members. To all the parents that say that its a waist of money and have your lame excuses of why it was I need to say something. This school is not one sided or even two sided, it is a process of the child in the program earning simple every day privileges, they have to earn these because they clearly did something to abuse there privileges to get into the school in the first place, its not all the schools job to correct the students in it, the student has to be willing to accept and work on the feedback given to them, if they choose not to then they won't be changed for the better, and the parents have to be able to look at there kid as a human to make their own choices and be willing to work with the program to help their child. This program works 100% for those who enter into it and apply themselves to all parts of the program, this goes to all parties involved, this means, the school itself, the student, and the parents all have to be willing to work together. If any of those parties choose not to comply then it will not work, and I guarantee that it will not be the school to go against their own policies, so if it doesn't work for the student or the parent because they choose not to comply with the services provided by the school then they need to take accountability for the "waste of money" and work on that before they go blaming the school that helped so many peoples lives. Thank you West Ridge, I will always support this school.

Spent 8 months in C home. (RIP JUSTIN) This place exists solely to convert young boys into straight mormons. They also practice gay to straight conversion therapy which my roommate was forced to do. **SPOILER** It didn't work. If you aren't mormon and like your current religion, stay away from this place completely. I think all should do that but mormons will be mormons... I was a blue shirt ever since they handed me one because I knew if you question anything, they keep you around for as long as possible. I saw the corruption and didn't want any of that so I usually just minded my own business, stayed busy, etc. Doesn't take away from how unfair many of the biased 100% mormon staff were. It's funny, I remember an atheist was hired in my home for one day, then I never saw him again. Hmm.... Bottom line, this place is sketchy. Just send your kid to a wilderness program.

I spent 15 months in this West Ridge Academy 6 years ago. This place is not all bad. If you behave and mind your manners at worst you will be dealt with unfairly.There are many good staff within the Academy and I'm sure West Ridge has good intentions but they do not deal with troubled youth professionally. I do have good memories of this place but the trauma that has come from here outweighs any good opinion. Those who act out learn through punishment.There are some fundamental things that should never happen that do happen there. My unwanted stay in this place has scarred me and I do have some trauma. They restrain kids for valid, if you can ever justify restraining upset youth, and very invalid reasons. I watched a person that got there 2 days after me restrained and put in a chair by two big men and held on to him so a barber could shave his head, He didn't want to be touched and he certainly didn't want anyone to shave his head, but what can you really do when you are isolated from anyone that knows this is wrong and then invalidated by people in charge because you are under 18 and a problematic child? I watched a 9 year old boy run out of a room screaming because he missed his home during lunch, he was chased across the grass and tackled and restrained until he promised he wouldn't run. This is the place where, usually Mormon, parents will send kids they can't or won't manage. People don't grow here, they survive. People that really need help here are treated harshly. 85% success rate is NOT accurate. I can make up numbers as well and say they are calculated statistics. People tend to fake change and "see the light' so they can get out. I would Highly recommend sending your child elsewhere if they really need help solving internal problems. This place has the potential to do more harm than good.

Heard this place sucks. West Ridge Academy sure abused my friends. The rating percentage is a gimmick. And I'm not your typical stupid guy that believes anything that owner says. Its called future State Attorney that would love to file criminal charges against West Ridge Academy.

This place does not deserve even 1 star, but I had to click a star to add my comment. My husband is the son of Gregg Johnson who became the Head of the Educational Program at The Utah Boys Ranch in the mid '90's after he signed away his parental rights and enlisted his troubled son there. The abuse and trauma my husband endured from his time at this school has caused him life long trauma and emotional issues. The stories that he has recounted to me over the last 20 years are heartbreaking and I see everyday the negative impacts that the Academy had on him, and will torture him emotionally for the rest of his life. It didn't help that he was an open minded rebel teenager in the mid 90's, being raised in an extremely closed minded, controling, highly disciplined, LDS home. He was sluffing school, smoking pot, listening to the grateful dead and wearing tye-dyes.... the same things many young people were doing in that era, myself included. I am grateful that my mom took me to a therapist for a 6 week evaluation before the insurance would approve rehab, and at the end of it, he told her I was a highly intelligent, successful person who was trying to find her way in the world, and if I worked on my issues with my absent father, and self esteem, I would be just fine. Rehab would most likely harm not help me. I chose to work on those things, and sure enough I found my way... my husband on the other hand, was ripped out of his bed in the middle of the night, by 3 big men, twice the size of him, and taken to the boys ranch, where he was told that they owned him, and he was going to do whatever they told him or he would never get out of there, they made him take off his tye-dyes and go outside and burn them, he was then put in a room with a room mate that used his own fecal matter to draw pictures on the under side of his mattress, and eat it at the same time... he was hung on a coat rack by Mike Rohoe, he was forced to dig holes outside in the winter, in shorts, with no shoes then refill them, and start over, he ran away 3 times, the last time he turned 18 before they caught him so he never went back, thank god because the second time he thought he would die by their hands that night. This is only a small sample of the many, many acts of abuse and terror that he endured at this Facility. He learned that to get out of there, he had to do what he was told. They did not care about really helping him heal from the issues he had that was causing him to act out against his father's religious beliefs and narcissistic control issues that were the root of his emotional problems. So he played along and did what he was told, just enough to survive his time there. They considered him a successful turn around, and took all the credit, when really he was emotionally damaged for the rest of his life.