Spring Ridge Academy, was a behavioral health residential facility for female adolescents 13-17 years old. In 2023, Spring Ridge Academy announced on their website they had permanently closed.[4]
The campus was originally a house with a barn attached and only had one student.[5] By the end, it was capable of housing up to 76 girls with a facility that included classrooms, medical areas, labs, and athletic fields and courts.[5] Spring Ridge Academy was operated by Suzanne Courtney (Executive Director) at its time of closure.[6]
Spring Ridge Academy described itself as a "clinical therapeutic program with a college preparatory academic curriculum".[7]
The program included four phases that each student completed at their own pace.[7] The program's average length of stay was 14 to 18 months.[7]
Parents or guardians who had their child admitted to Spring Ridge paid tuition and fees. Medical insurance may have covered part of the costs.
Controversy
In 2021, the parent of a former resident filed a lawsuit against Spring Ridge Academy, alleging causes of action for negligence and fraud, amongst other things.[8][3][9] The mother claims that the troubled teen program used non-evidence-based treatment practices on her daughter and misrepresented the tactics the program used before she enrolled her child there.[8][3] In a large group awareness training workshop, for example, girls at Spring Ridge Academy were allegedly instructed to beat their chairs with rolled-up towels containing their anger while other students screamed at them.[3]
In 2024, Spring Ridge Academy lost the fraud court case in Phoenix federal court, with the Jury awarding $2.5 million in punitive damages.[10]
Other former students have claimed that the workshops at the center of the lawsuit are "abusive" and "shame-based."[9] Former students say they had to participate in attack therapy as well.[9]
Other alumni have come forward alleging abuse as part of the Breaking Code Silence movement, describing the academy as a cult and as being exploitative of families.[12] One Spring Ridge Academy alumnus was also featured in a Lifetime movie special Beyond the Headlines: Cruel Instruction, talking about the allegations of abuse in the troubled teen industry and the PTSD and anxiety that many survivors continue to live with.[13][failed verification] Spring Ridge Academy issued several in response to the lifeline movie.[14][15][16]
Note Wickenburg's high school, Wickenburg High School, is in Maricopa County. Wickenburg High also serves Congress School District students and formerly served Yarnell students. Cañon, as of 1984, sends students to Deer Valley Unified School District in Maricopa County.
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