Woodward Academy 1251 334th Street, Woodward, IA 50276

"DO NOT SEND YOUR KIDS HERE So this was back in 2018 but i was there for 3 months never did anything wrong but keep my nose up and do my best to get out but the staff almost made it impossible they do not treat you like your a person they treat you like animals i got put into a restraint because i was getting attacked and defend myself i couldn't move my arm for a month after there is no training for any of the staff i got talked down watch staff make kids down talk themselves a full grown adults making fun of young minded kids not giving the tru help they need not to mention you sign away all your rights prior to putting your kid ing here so theres nothing you can do to get em out unless "woodward" deems them able to leave DO NOT SEND YOUR KIDS HERE"

"I worked here for 2 weeks and it was the most toxic work environment ever!! Don’t send your kids here and don’t work here. The staff yelled at a kid and told him “your nothing a nobody!”"

"About a year ago, I successfully discharged from Woodward Academy. Today, I was trying to find the phone number so I could get in touch with some of my old staff. They are some of my biggest supporters and they are always ready to help when I need it. When checked online, I noticed a lot of negative reviews coming from parents and other parents commenting on not wanting to send their kids there as a result of reading some of these reviews. These parents who are being dissuaded from getting their children help for their behavior need to keep in mind that the parents didn't stay at this facility. Of course, there are one or two stories that have some basis in the truth, but the majority of them come from kids who went to the Academy and just didn't like being told what to do. Many of the kids in placements such as Woodward have a lot of problems dealing with authority (which is one of the reasons a lot of them end up there in the first place). These reviews from their parents are simply a reflection of the stories that their kids have told them. The stories themselves are often exaggerated and twisted in a way that makes the facility and the staff that work there seem awful. I can tell you with absolute certainty that most of these stories are not true. The staff at Woodward do not go out of their way to mistreat kids or put them in restraints for no reason. In fact, the staff use restraints as a last resort. I saw a review by Ben Cornick that said a relative of his was put into an unlawful restraint simply because he was asking too many questions. I will say that the restraints used are legal and every single staff member has to complete weeks of training on how to properly and safely restrain an aggressive youth. In the case of Ben's relative, there are obviously large pieces missing from the story. I would not be the man I am today (I am still in high school, but that's not the point), if it wasn't for the staff at Woodward."

"My son went here. It did him SOME good as far as getting his grades up and engaging him in sports, but he was not given the money he earned upon leaving and no-one has returned my calls in the whole 3 1/2 yrs I've been calling, texting or emailing about it. VERY strict place by the way."

"I was at Woodward for about 9 months in 2015. Overall, I think this is one of the best programs around. It was intense at times and I had some mental health issues that got in the way of my program. However this program taught me how to be respectful and responsible. It taught me how to fill out job apps and how to shave my face. Among many other things as well. The school is pretty neat and the sports is a good way to get kids off the dorms. There was some favoritism and shady things with a few staff but that comes with human nature. I doubt those staff lasted this long. I was on triumph and I’m glad I went to Woodward academy. I’ll always be a Woodward Academy Knight! I’m currently clean off drugs, in college, and working. I owe a part of my success to the program and the ppl who helped me their. If anyone from Woodward reads this and could help me get in contact with Mr.Miller, I would greatly appreciate it. He said I could always come back for a visit. It would be nice just to check up in general."