Boarding School for Troubled Youth in Salt Lake City, UT

West Ridge Academy:
West Ridge Academy is a youth rehabilitation boarding school for boys and girls (ages 9-18) in West Jordan, a suburb of Salt Lake City in Utah. Since 1964, West Ridge Academy (formerly known as the Utah Boys Ranch) has been helping troubled teens and bringing hope to struggling young men, young women and their families by providing clinical services, a quality residential education and experiences which promote spiritual awareness, personal accountability and change of heart.

Our Goal and Mission at West Ridge Academy is to offer hope and healing to families. A young person spiraling out of control can be devastating to even the healthiest of families. Sometimes normal parenting skills simply aren't enough. We are here to help.

Our passion is to build trusting relationships with your son or daughter that will hopefully help facilitate a lifelong change in heart. They will learn new coping skills and moral and spiritual values that will propel them into a more functional and peaceful way of life. These changes are miraculous to see and the reason why we love what we do at West Ridge Academy.

- Education programs for elementary, middle and high school students aged between 9 - 18 including Advanced Placement (AP) courses, Special Education and more

- Therapeutic program which is holistic in approach, treating the mental, physical and spiritual problems. At the foundation of our program, we use natural and logical consequences to teach and tutor our students.

- Recreation Therapy

- Cultural Arts Program

- Eight-month aftercare program, which begins immediately following discharge from residential treatment.

We help troubled adolescents make real, lifelong and sometimes life saving changes. From the earliest days, the organization recognized the positive effect its program had on young men who were struggling academically, emotionally and socially.

Today, the academy has served more than 25,000 students, has expanded to include separate and distinct campuses for boys and girls, and continues to bring hope and healing to families across the world.

West Ridge Academy operates 365 days a year and application for admission may take place at any time. Acceptance is based on a review of the student's current and past history of behavior, consultation with parents and professionals, and psycho-educational testing when appropriate.

Our students may have issues with:

- Bi- Polar Disorder
- Oppositional- Defiant Disorder 
- Post Traumatic Stress
- Substance Abuse
- Anxiety Disorders
- Low Self-Esteem
- Learning Disabilities
- Low Motivation
- Habitual Lying
- Adoption/Attachment Issues
- Identity Issues
- Peer Problems
- Bereavement
- Victims of Abuse and Neglect
- Family Adjustment Difficulties
- Personality Disorders (borderline, histrionic, narcissistic traits)
- Depression or Dysthymia

Admissions Criteria excludes the following:

- Psychosis
- Low IQ (below 80)
- Pregnancy
- Parents that are unwilling to participate
- Anti-social or conduct disorder
- Physically violent histories

We are accredited through Northwest Association of Accredited School - the same accrediting body that public schools throughout Utah, Idaho, Washington, Wyoming and Oregon.

Because we are accredited, all of the credits that any student earns at our school is transferable to any school in the United States.