Diamond Ranch Academy

Not to be confused with Diamond Ranch High School in Pomona, California

Diamond Ranch Academy
The football field at Diamond Ranch Academy
Location
433 Diamond Ranch Pkwy

Hurricane, Utah
,
Washington County, Utah
84737

United States
Coordinates37°9′34.2″N 113°23′4.2″W / 37.159500°N 113.384500°W / 37.159500; -113.384500
Information
TypeTherapeutic boarding school
MottoHealing Families, One Youth at a Time.
Established1999 (1999)
FounderRob Dias[1]
Closed14 August 2023 (2023-08-14) [2]
CEEB code450132
NCES School IDA0702299[3]
DirectorRicky Dias
PrincipalReeve Knighton
Faculty8
Grades7–12
Age range12–18
Enrollment130
Color(s)   
TeamsFootball, Baseball
Team nameDiamondbacks, Lady Diamondbacks
AccreditationNorthwest Accreditation Commission
Websitewww.diamondranchacademy.com

Diamond Ranch Academy was a therapeutic boarding school just outside the town of Hurricane, Utah, United States. It admitted adolescents, 12–18, with various issues, including anger management issues and major depressive disorder. Diamond Ranch Academy was founded in Idaho Falls[4] in 1999 by Rob Dias and later moved to southern Utah,[5] where it occupied a 200-acre (81 ha) ranch.[6][7][8] It closed in August 2023 after Utah officials decided not to renew the school's license.[2]

Its education programs were accredited by the Northwest Accreditation Commission, The Joint Commission, and its courses generally lasted between ten and twelve months. Activities included various sports, including interscholastic competition, as well as caring for farm animals.[8]

Diamond Ranch Academy charged a tuition fee of $12,000 per month.[9] Some students who required special education services had their tuition fees covered by school districts in California and Washington.[9]

In 2022 a student died at the school after a period of illness, and the Utah Department of Health subsequently issued an extreme level citation to Diamond Ranch Academy for failure to provide and seek necessary medical care for a client.[10]

History

When Diamond Ranch Academy first opened in 1999, it was a working ranch in Idaho and students were expected to take part in a cattle drive.[11] During the first 2–6 weeks at Diamond Ranch Academy there was no educational component; students would take part in the wilderness component of the program. Afterwards the student would receive "continuing education packets" that had been developed by Brigham Young University.[12] Enrollees aged 12 to 17 were housed in groups based on age and gender on four separate areas of the ranch.[6][7][8] Students who had reached the age of 18 before completing the program were housed in a fifth area.[8]

Diamond Ranch Academy had three locations where they ran their programs: Timber Creek Ranch, near the town of Salmon, Idaho; the Swan Valley Ranch near Jackson Hole, Wyoming; and the Pitchfork Ranch in Southern Idaho.[13]

In 2001, they moved to a campus outside of the town of Hurricane, Utah.[14] In 2012, a new campus was opened at a site about 5 miles (8.0 km) from Hurricane.[15]

In December 2022, a 17-year-old girl, Taylor Goodridge, collapsed and died from sepsis caused by acute peritonitis while attending the school, which resulted in media attention.[16][17][18] The State of Utah Department of Human Services found in a subsequent investigation that she had been ill since October 2022, reporting back pain, difficulty breathing, and difficulty sleeping because of the pain. Goodridge was found to have vomited at least 14 times in the 12-day period prior to her death.[16]

Goodridge's parents have since filed a civil lawsuit against the school, claiming that she "begged for help" multiple times before she died without being provided medical care.[19] Between December 2022 and March 2023, Diamond Ranch Academy was suspended from taking on new students by the State of Utah Department of Human Services while the student's death was investigated.[16]

In February 2023, Sky News published an article discussing Goodridge's death. It included claims by a previous client who alleged that she had suffered partial facial paralysis after being restrained by staff on the campus.[20] Goodridge's death was the third recorded fatality of a student at Diamond Ranch Academy.[21]

On July 11, 2023, the Utah Department of Human Services declined Diamond Ranch Academy's request for license renewal as a Residential Treatment Center and Therapeutic Boarding School.[22] Diamond Ranch Academy officially closed on August 14, 2023.

In 2024, staff members and administrators from Diamond Ranch Academy were listed on a license application for RAFA Academy, a boarding school at the old Diamond Ranch Academy campus.[23]

School structure

Diamond Ranch Academy used a token economy system as part of its program; students could earn credits by completing school work, with the reward being extra benefits and activities.[24]

Oversight

References

  1. ^ "History of Diamond Ranch Academy | Program for Troubled Teens". Diamond Ranch Academy. Archived from the original on May 8, 2023. Retrieved May 8, 2023.
  2. ^ a b Hogsten, Leah (July 14, 2023). "Utah officials shut down Diamond Ranch Academy teen treatment center after deaths". The Salt Lake Tribune. Archived from the original on January 29, 2025. Retrieved August 2, 2025.
  3. ^ "Search for Private Schools – School Detail for Diamond Ranch Academy". National Center for Education Statistics. Institute of Education Sciences. Retrieved December 23, 2023.
  4. ^ "DIAMOND RANCH ACADEMY, INC". opencorporates.com. Archived from the original on January 3, 2023. Retrieved January 3, 2023.
  5. ^ "Diamond Ranch Academy Review". Idaho Falls Spokesperson. July 31, 2017. Archived from the original on August 1, 2017. Retrieved September 19, 2022.
  6. ^ a b Dias, Rob (July 30, 2004). "DIAMOND RANCH ACADEMY New Perspectives". Woodbury Reports. Archived from the original on March 2, 2010. Retrieved August 2, 2025.
  7. ^ a b "Diamond Ranch Academy Tuition, Financing & Tax Deductions". Archived from the original on July 10, 2011. Retrieved October 11, 2010.
  8. ^ a b c d Bessette, Judith E. "Diamond Ranch Academy". Woodbury Reports. Archived from the original on August 11, 2011. Retrieved August 2, 2025.
  9. ^ a b Kingkade, Tyler (March 10, 2023). "After the teen's death, schools rethink sending children out of state to Diamond Ranch Academy". NBC News. Archived from the original on January 30, 2025. Retrieved August 2, 2025.
  10. ^ Utah Department of Health & Human Services. "DIAMOND RANCH ACADEMY (F22-93407)". ccl.utah.gov/. Utah Department of Health & Human Services. Retrieved April 26, 2023.
  11. ^ "Diamond Ranch Academy – Helping Troubled Teens". August 23, 2000. Archived from the original on August 23, 2000. Retrieved February 3, 2023.
  12. ^ "Diamond Ranch Academy – Helping Troubled Teens". December 6, 2000. Archived from the original on December 6, 2000. Retrieved March 11, 2023.
  13. ^ "Diamond Ranch Academy Online". April 5, 2001. Archived from the original on April 5, 2001. Retrieved May 8, 2023.
  14. ^ "Diamond Ranch Academy Online". August 5, 2001. Archived from the original on August 5, 2001. Retrieved May 8, 2023.
  15. ^ Morgan, Alexa (November 28, 2012). "Diamond Ranch Academy teen treatment facility opens new Hurricane campus". St George News. Archived from the original on August 14, 2013. Retrieved April 15, 2014.
  16. ^ a b c Kingkade, Tyler (April 22, 2023). "Teen vomited on multiple days before dying of infection at Utah boarding school, state finds". NBC News. Archived from the original on April 22, 2023. Retrieved August 2, 2025.
  17. ^ Arias, Pilar (January 4, 2023). "Father suing Utah boarding school for alleged malpractice after daughter's death". Fox News. Archived from the original on January 6, 2023. Retrieved August 2, 2025.
  18. ^ Chin Tung Tan (December 22, 2022). "17-year-old girl collapses and dies at Hurricane treatment facility". ABC4 Utah. Archived from the original on December 25, 2022. Retrieved August 2, 2025.
  19. ^ Miller, Jordan (April 22, 2023). "Girl died of 'easily treated' infection at Utah teen treatment center, had 'begged' for help, lawyer says". The Salt Lake Tribune. ISSN 0746-3502. OCLC 137343114. Archived from the original on July 9, 2025. Retrieved August 2, 2025.
  20. ^ Kelner, Martha. "'Snatched from their beds by strangers': Inside the multibillion-dollar 'troubled teen' industry". Sky News. Archived from the original on March 1, 2023. Retrieved March 1, 2023.
  21. ^ Curtis, Larry D. (July 14, 2023). "After 3 deaths, state denies Diamond Ranch Academy license for youth treatment". KSLTV. Archived from the original on July 26, 2025. Retrieved August 11, 2023.
  22. ^ "Notices of Agency Action | Division of Licensing and Background Checks". dlbc.utah.gov. Retrieved July 14, 2023.
  23. ^ Guzman, Alejandra (March 6, 2024). "Diamond Ranch Academy resurfaces amid WA teen death". FOX13 News. Archived from the original on December 21, 2024. Retrieved August 2, 2025.
  24. ^ "Real Life Transition Program". Diamond Ranch Academy. Archived from the original on May 15, 2023. Retrieved May 15, 2023.


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