On August 17, 2005, Ivy Ridge was ordered to pay civil penalties of $250,000 to the New York State Attorney General, stop issuing unauthorized high school diplomas, and refrain from advertising that it is an accredited school. In addition, it was required to make partial refunds to former students.See In the Matter of the Academy at Ivy Ridge, Assurance of Discontinuance Pursuant to Executive Law Section 63, Subdivision 15 , Attorney General of the State of New York, Watertown Office, August 17, 2005, and School for Troubled Youth to Issue Tuition Refunds , Office of the State Attorney General, press release, Albany, NY, August 18, 2005. On December 1, 2006, the New York State Department of Education denied Ivy Ridge's application for authorization to issue high school diplomas. The department's letter to Ivy Ridge stated that the institution had been determined to be principally a behavior modification program, not a school.Ivy Ridge Academy accreditation rejected, News Watch 50 WWTI TV Following this ruling, the school's enrollment dropped from about 500 to less than 100 students.
