Utah has revoked the license of Provo Canyon School, a boarding school where socialite Paris Hilton says she was abused as a teenager, after state investigators found multiple health and safety violations. The revocation, effective Monday, follows years of complaints from former students and Hilton's public testimony before Congress.
State Cites Extensive Noncompliance
The Utah Department of Health and Human Services issued a letter detailing numerous compliance failures at the school's Springville campus, dating back to 2025. These include inadequate staff-to-client ratios, use of unnecessary restraints, aggressive physical contact with a client, neglect of care, and delays in verifying employee backgrounds. In May, temporary restrictions were imposed after staff failed to seek immediate medical care for a student with serious injuries.
The school has 15 days to request a hearing before the department. If no appeal is made, all services must be terminated by August 6.
Paris Hilton's Response
Hilton, 45, spent nearly a year at Provo Canyon School in the late 1990s. She alleges staff beat her, watched her shower, fed her unknown pills, and locked her in solitary confinement without clothing. In a statement Tuesday, she said: “For more than fifty years, children came forward with stories of abuse, neglect, and trauma. Today, the state confirmed what survivors have known all along: Provo Canyon School failed the children in its care.”
Hilton added, “I was one of those children. I know what it feels like to cry for help and believe no one is coming. Today, children still inside that facility know someone is finally coming to protect them.” She has called for the school's permanent closure and has testified in Congress and state legislatures, helping pass laws to protect teens in Utah and 15 other states.
Broader Context of Troubled Teen Industry
Utah has long been a hub for the “troubled teen industry,” a network of private, for-profit residential centers for children with behavioral issues. Provo Canyon School, described on its website as a psychiatric residential treatment facility for youth ages 12 to 18, did not respond to requests for comment. The school is under new ownership and has said it cannot comment on incidents before the change.
In June, Hilton visited the school to support two families suing over alleged mistreatment of their children. The license revocation marks a significant victory for survivors, though the school may still operate pending a hearing.
