Utah Revokes License for Provo Canyon School Where Paris Hilton Reported Abuse

State officials in Utah moved Friday to permanently shut down the Provo campus of Provo Canyon School following years of complaints about the facility’s treatment of residents. The decision by the Utah Department of Health and Human Services culminates a lengthy campaign by Paris Hilton and other advocates seeking to close the troubled institution.

The state cited numerous violations documented in 2026, ranging from inadequate safeguarding of residents to reports of harmful disciplinary practices involving minors. More than a dozen separate infractions were identified during recent inspections, according to state records released Friday.

Shannon Thoman-Black, who heads the state’s licensing and background checks division, emphasized that residential facilities for youth must maintain rigorous safety standards. “No child should be hurt in a program that is meant to protect them; particularly programs that require the authorization of the state to operate,” she stated.

The state had previously suspended the license for a second Provo Canyon School campus elsewhere in Utah, citing failures to deliver essential health and safety services. The latest action against the Provo facility marks an escalation in regulatory pressure against the school.

Hilton spent approximately one year at the school during the late 1990s and has become the public face of efforts to expose and reform abusive practices in private residential treatment facilities. She described Friday’s announcement as delivering long-awaited relief from her traumatic experiences there.

“This horrific chapter of abuse, neglect, and trauma has finally come to an end,” Hilton said in a written statement released following the state’s decision.

The facility, which serves adolescents between ages 12 and 18, must cease operations by August 15. Utah health officials plan to conduct weekly monitoring visits during the transition period to ensure compliance with the closure order.

Staci Bradley, the school’s director of business development, rejected the state’s findings in a response statement. The school indicated it would pursue available legal remedies, including requesting a formal hearing and filing an appeal within the specified 15-day window.

Hilton has previously alleged that personnel at the school physically assaulted her, invaded her privacy during bathing, administered unidentified medications, and isolated her in confined spaces without clothing. She has shared these accounts publicly at multiple state legislatures and congressional hearings.

Her advocacy work has contributed to the passage of protective legislation in Utah and more than a dozen additional states designed to safeguard vulnerable youth in residential treatment settings. Utah has emerged as a central hub for the troubled teen industry, which comprises numerous private, for-profit treatment centers operating across the country.

In June, Hilton visited the school grounds to stand with two families pursuing litigation against the facility over allegations that their children suffered mistreatment while enrolled there. The school’s current ownership has stated it cannot address historical matters predating their acquisition of the property.