Diamond Ranch Academy
Diamond Ranch Academy was founded in 1999 and aims to help youth ages 12 to 18 manage emotional and behavioral issues. Based in Hurricane, Utah, Diamond Ranch Academy’s Residential Treatment Program focuses on a myriad of topics that affect its students, including peer pressure, oppositional defiance, anger management, family relationships, depression, substance abuse, self-esteem, grief and loss issues, communication, and academic struggles. In order to provide a safe environment in which students can excel academically, heal emotionally, and grow personally, Diamond Ranch Academy employs a multi-faceted approach.
Diamond Ranch Academy’s Real-Life Transition Program focuses on choices and accountability for students. The school operates on a judicial system model, in which students receive points for negative behavior, based on the severity of the incident. Each student at Diamond Ranch Academy is held accountable by peer judges and the campus director, who determine whether a week has been successful based on the number of points a student earns. The number of points for a successful week is contingent on which of Diamond Ranch Academy’s five levels the student is placed on.
The second part of the plan Diamond Ranch Academy has instituted for its students is academics. Diamond Ranch Academy tailors each student’s education to his or her ability to learn. Students are not allowed to move on to another subject until they earn at least an 80 percent score on their tests. This system allows students at Diamond Ranch Academy to focus on what they are learning as well as discover which method of education works best for themselves. Diamond Ranch Academy maintains a minimum weekly achievement requirement to motivate students.
The final component of the Diamond Ranch Academy approach is therapy. Aside from the traditional counsel of therapists, Diamond Ranch Academy offers youths the tranquility of nature at its four campuses to encourage healing. By providing therapy, Diamond Ranch Academy allows students to discover and develop healthy relationships.
Diamond Ranch Academy operates on a motto of “healing families, one youth at a time.” The school offers families the option of re-enrollment at no cost if a child under the age of 18 continues to display negative behavior after leaving the school. As a testament to its success, Diamond Ranch Academy has had fewer than 5% of students return to the school in the last 10 years.