With programs around the globe and exorbitant tuition, money was rolling in — but where was it going? A trail of dodgy dealings leads to the top.

Daily life at Ivy Ridge included cultlike tactics, a rules system with excessive punishments and family reps incentivized to keep teens in the program.

Former students of the Academy at Ivy Ridge return to the now-shuttered school and reflect on the horrors they endured during their time in the program.