401. Ashcreek Ranch Academy

Founded by the very same people who founded Copper Canyon Academy before it was sold to Aspen Education Group, this facility focus on teenage boys.

A former student wrote:

I had a 2 month stay at ARA (May-June 2015) and it was the absolute worst period of my life. I was pulled from the program by my parents because I was being discriminated upon for my sexuality, not by students, but surprisingly by STAFF.
Please note that the majority of the staff at ARA are Mormon (nothing is wrong with that) but they push their beliefs on the students.

In my 2 month stay, I observed horrific things.
– staff broke a kid’s wrist while restraining him (when the kid was NOT fighting against the restraint)
The issue was put down-low and no staff were fired or suspended for any time.
-Horse mistreatment/cruelty
Ranch staff aggressively hitting, kicking, elbowing horses when the horses were of no harm. Horses are never cleaned, brushed, washed, etc.
-Staff cussing at students.
I was personally called a dumb-ass several times by staff at the ranch. I also heard terrible vulgar words being thrown at students in the house by house staff.
– When ARA was being visited, the staff forced all of us students to pretend to be happy and go out and do activities around the house to make the program look good.
-I was told by many staff of ARA that my sexuality was wrong and I should not be who I am. I was laughed at, joked about, and yelled at by staff.
-Staff teaching about natural psychedelic plants around the house which resulted in an epidemic of several students taking the plants and getting high off of them to a very dangerous extent. The natural psychedelic plant was poisonous to the liver.
-Staff taking belongings from students and hiding them away and never giving them back such as shoes, clothing, books, etc.
-All food is from the freezer (completely unhealthy)
-Staff yelling at students harshly which creates a negative vibe around the house

All students at ARA are miserable. When I was there, the only thing that got us all through the program was each other. The staff were terrible to us so we ONLY had each other.

ARA was a horrible and awful experience for me. After being transported out of ARA, I was put in a treatment program in Puerto Rico called Surfhouse, where I am doing great and have created a better relationships my family and friends and my life is headed in the right direction.

Don’t make a mistake and send your child to ARA. Your family and your son deserve much better.

Best wishes to all of you on your journey.

It doesn’t sound like a fun place to be as a teenager. It seems that some of the critical issues at Copper Canyon Academy is close and similar with the points of criticism at Ashcreek.

Sources:

• Former student testimony (Google reviews)
• Copper Canyon Academy (HEAL-online)

Update 2022

It seems that the facility closed in 2021.