Utah Shuts Down Boarding School Where Paris Hilton Claims She Suffered Abuse

Utah officials have revoked the license of the Provo Canyon School, a boarding facility where Paris Hilton has alleged she was abused as a teenager. The decision followed repeated violations that the state determined put students’ safety at risk, as reported by Page Six.

The Utah Department of Health and Human Services said the school “failed to provide applicable health and safety services for clients.” The revocation took effect Monday and applies to the campus in Springville.

The facility now has 15 days to request a hearing to challenge the action. The state cited a wide range of noncompliance issues dating back to 2025.

I’ve been waiting years to write this. The place that hurt me, and countless children before and after me, will no longer be allowed to operate. The children inside are going to be removed The dream I’ve had to protect future generations from the abuse I endured is finally… https://t.co/ZpWH4xO0dY

— Paris Hilton (@ParisHilton) July 7, 2026

Among the documented problems were staff failing to raise staff-to-client ratios, engaging in unnecessary restraints, making aggressive physical contact with students, and neglecting required care.

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Officials also found the school had not properly verified employee information or completed background checks on time.

Earlier this year, state regulators placed temporary restrictions on the school after determining that staff delayed seeking medical attention for a student with serious injuries.

Authorities said the latest decision requires that all services at the campus must end by August 6.

Paris Hilton publicly praised the state’s action. “For more than fifty years, children came forward with stories of abuse, neglect, and trauma,” she said in a statement Tuesday.

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“Today, the state confirmed what survivors have known all along: Provo Canyon School failed the children in its care.”

Hilton continued:

“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.”

According to Hilton, she spent nearly a year at the school in the late 1990s. She has alleged that staff members beat her, watched her shower, forced her to take unidentified pills, and confined her without clothing in isolation.

The school did not respond to email requests for comment from the Associated Press. On its website, Provo Canyon School describes itself as a psychiatric residential treatment facility for adolescents between 12 and 18.

Hilton, now 45, has used her personal experience to advocate for reform in the troubled teen industry, calling for stricter oversight and accountability.

She has testified before Congress and state legislatures across the United States, helping to shape laws aimed at safeguarding institutionalized youth in Utah and 15 other states.

When Hilton revisited the campus in June, she voiced support for families who had filed lawsuits alleging their children were mistreated there.

Her visit marked another step in her campaign to close facilities accused of harming vulnerable teens.

The state’s letter makes clear that Provo Canyon School must terminate all operations by early August.

While the institution is now under new ownership, its administrators have declined to discuss any incidents or claims from before the change.

Hilton’s statement suggests that the state’s action represents progress for those who endured mistreatment in similar institutions.

For many former students, the decision puts an official stamp on stories that survivors have shared for decades.

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