Facility profile Idaho

Boulder Creek Academy

Closed Bonners Ferry, Idaho

Boulder Creek Academy was a therapeutic boarding school in Bonners Ferry, Idaho, operated by Universal Health Services (UHS). It operated from 1993 to 2022.

About Boulder Creek Academy

It was owned by Universal Health Services, Inc. (UHS).source 1, source 2 It moved academic program to the Emerson building on the former Rocky Mountain Academy (RMA) campus.source It was acquired by Universal Health Services (UHS) after CEDU's bankruptcy.source It was run by CEDU (earlier operator).source It was founded by Rob Spear, John Sarachio, Lori Rist, Mike Naylor.source

It employs 86 faculty and staff members.source Five students graduated Boulder Creek Academy in May.source Five students graduated December 21, 2007.source Its address was 147 Emerson Lane, Bonners Ferry, ID 83805.source It charged a $6,900 enrollment fee (nonrefundable).source It cost $6,900 monthly tuition and $6,900 enrollment fee (2010 application).source 1, source 2

Application groups it with Ascent and Northwest Academy under the name IES.source CEDU program.source It was a division of Rocky Mountain Academy.source Enrollment contracts require binding arbitration of any controversy through the American Arbitration Association in Boundary County, Idaho.source It was named as a defendant with CEDU Educational Services, Inc. in a 1998 Idaho lawsuit; part of the CEDU family.source It was part of "IES" with Ascent and Northwest Academy, all CEDU-related.source

It was an approved Idaho Special Education Facility.source It was licensed by the Idaho Department of Health and Welfare.source It was a designated US Dept of State sponsor organization, authorized to issue SEVIS I-20 visas for international students.source Not accredited by the Idaho Department of Education, per HEAL.source 1, source 2

Licensing: HEAL could not find a mental health, residential care or school license in Idaho.source HEAL found no Idaho mental health provider license.source It was a member of NATSAP from 2006 to 2022.source It joined NATSAP in 2006.source

Survivor testimony

What people who lived or worked here say happened. Survivors' own words are published with their permission; forum accounts are what was posted publicly and are reported as claims, not findings.

Reported on survivor forums

Timeline

From the records: who ran it and the deals that moved it, its names, and the deaths, incidents, inspection findings, lawsuits and news stories on file. Point at an event, or tap "More about this", for the details.

19931998200420052020202219932022

  1. 1993

    1. Opened

      Opened in Bonners Ferry, Idaho

  2. 1998

    1. OwnershipJuly 31, 1998

      The Brown Schools: Bought a controlling interest in CEDU

      The Brown Schools: Bought a controlling interest in CEDU July 31, 1998

      On July 31, 1998, The Brown Schools of Austin, Texas, and the CEDU Family of Services of Monterey, California, made a final agreement to combine; Woodbury Reports headlined it as Brown buying a controlling interest. CEDU then had six schools in North Idaho and Southern California. The Spokesman-Review later reported, citing the Austin American-Statesman, that Brown paid about $72 million.

      source 1, source 2

  3. 2004

    1. Incident

      Lawsuit

      In 2004 over two dozen former residents and parents of Rocky Mountain Academy and Boulder Creek Academy filed four lawsuits alleging a pattern of neglect and...

      Lawsuit

      In 2004 over two dozen former residents and parents of Rocky Mountain Academy and Boulder Creek Academy filed four lawsuits alleging a pattern of neglect and abuse, including humiliation and a forced mock burial; CEDU called the claims baseless.

      source

    2. SettlementOctober 2004

      CEDU: Sued by more than two dozen parents

      CEDU: Sued by more than two dozen parents October 2004

      In October 2004 more than two dozen parents sued Rocky Mountain and Boulder Creek academies, alleging misconduct and breach of contract.

      source

  4. 2005

    1. ClosedMarch 25, 2005

      The Brown Schools: Filed Chapter 7 and closed its 11 schools

      The Brown Schools: Filed Chapter 7 and closed its 11 schools March 25, 2005

      Brown Schools Inc. filed for Chapter 7 liquidation in Delaware bankruptcy court on a Friday in late March 2005, closing its 11 boarding schools and educational facilities in Texas, Idaho, California, Florida and Vermont. About 300 students in CEDU's seven schools were sent home and about 300 people in North Idaho lost their jobs. The filing listed debts of $10 million to $50 million, including a $1.5 million arbitration settlement among the largest creditors.

      source 1, source 2, source 3

  5. 2020

    1. In the newsNovember 22, 2020

      Provo Canyon School Closure

      1 article in HuffPost Canada.

      Provo Canyon School Closure November 22, 2020

      The article reports allegations of physical restraint, solitary confinement, and sexual misconduct at several U.S. troubled‑teen boarding schools that housed Canadian teenagers. Survivors describe harsh punishments, forced medication, and isolation, and the facilities have faced legal and regulatory scrutiny.

  6. 2022

    1. Closed

      Closed

Incidents on record

  1. 2004 Lawsuit

    In 2004 over two dozen former residents and parents of Rocky Mountain Academy and Boulder Creek Academy filed four lawsuits alleging a pattern of neglect and abuse, including humiliation and a forced mock burial; CEDU called the claims baseless.source

  2. Incident

    HEAL listed complaints filed with Bonners Ferry/Boundary County police about the academy, including missing persons, runaways, battery, welfare check requests and kidnapping by a non-custodial parent.source

  3. Lawsuit

    HEAL says Boulder Creek Academy has been sued for fraud and abuse in the past.source

News coverage

  • HuffPost Canada Nov 22, 2020 Expose

    Allegations of Abuse at U.S. Troubled‑Teen Boarding Schools Involving Canadian Teens

    The article reports allegations of physical restraint, solitary confinement, and sexual misconduct at several U.S. troubled‑teen boarding schools that housed Canadian teenagers. Survivors describe harsh punishments, forced medication, and isolation, and the facilities have faced legal and regulatory scrutiny. The piece highlights gaps in oversight and the impact on the survivors’ mental health.

  • BioSpace News Oct 19, 2005 Corporate

    Universal Health Services, Inc. Announces Acquisition Of KEYS Group Holdings, LLC And Five Additional Behavioral Health Facilities As Well As Board Authorization For Additional Securities Repurchase

    Universal Health Services, Inc. announced the acquisition of KEYS Group Holdings, LLC, adding 46 behavioral health facilities, residential treatment centers, therapeutic day schools, and detention facilities to its portfolio. Additionally, the company acquired four therapeutic boarding schools and an outdoor intervention program originating from the Brown Schools of Austin bankruptcy.

  • Education Week Apr 12, 2005 Closure

    Brown Schools Inc. Shuts Its Doors

    Brown Schools Inc., a for-profit operator of therapeutic education and boarding programs for teenagers, abruptly filed for Chapter 7 bankruptcy liquidation, resulting in the immediate closure of its 11 boarding schools and educational facilities across multiple states. The company listed significant debts alongside ongoing lawsuits claiming student abuse and neglect, including allegations related to a 2002 fatality at a company wilderness camp in Texas.

  • RuralNorthwest.com Apr 3, 2005 Closure

    Parent Perspective on Nationwide CEDU Program Closures

    The corporate ownership of CEDU abruptly closed its campuses nationwide, including Boulder Creek Academy and Northwest Academy in Idaho, due to financial viability issues. Parents and staff received notification of the sudden closures during an on-site workshop, causing severe disruption and distress for families and students enrolled in the programs.

  • The Spokesman-Review Jul 11, 1996 Lawsuit

    California Family Files Lawsuit Against North Idaho Behavioral Programs Alleging Abuse

    A California teenager and his family filed a lawsuit against the CEDU Family of Services and two North Idaho programs, alleging physical and emotional abuse during his enrollment from 1994 to 1995. The complaint outlines allegations of medical neglect, unsanitary living conditions, forced physical exertion, and humiliating punishments administered by program staff.

  • PracticeLink Corporate

    Boulder Creek Academy, Northwest Academy and Ascent Program Profile at PracticeLink

    An organizational profile and recruitment listing details Boulder Creek Academy, Northwest Academy, and the Ascent Program as residential and wilderness programs operating in Idaho under parent company Universal Health Services, Inc. The text describes the regional setting and multidisciplinary staffing structures intended for adolescents aged 13 to 18.

Staff

Administration

Notable staff

Rules and practices

Practices

  • Seclusion or isolation
  • Level system
  • Forced medication
  • Behavior contracts
  • Confrontation groups
  • Limits on contact with family

Connections on the network map

The companies, people and programs our research map ties to this program. Open it on the network map.

Acquisitions

  • Universal Health Services Acquired this program (acquired)

Other staff

Ownership

  • CEDU Family of Services

Documents

Documents on file (68)
Woodbury Reports Mentions (31)
Merged from: Northwest Academy (28)
Merged from: Rocky Mountain Academy (8)

From the Unsilenced archive

80 documents about Boulder Creek Academy that Unsilenced collected and Kids Over Profits does not hold a copy of. They open on Unsilenced's Google Drive. Their whole folder: Boulder Creek Academy.

Documents (80)

Wiki entries

Materials and links

Materials the project holds for this facility. Ask through the correction form to see any of them.

Other documentation

  • NATSAP profile

External links

A program's own website is linked as an archived snapshot, so the page reads as it did when it was captured.

Staff listing or directory

Advertising and marketing listings

Reference and research

4 of these from SCIAD NET.

Other links

Record updated . Generated from the Kids Over Profits facility database. Suggest a correction