SUMMARY OF SIGNIFICANT ACCOUNTING POLICIES (Details) $ in Thousands	3 Months Ended								12 Months Ended
	Dec. 31, 2016 USD ($) State AssetsGroup		Dec. 31, 2015 USD ($)		Sep. 30, 2015 USD ($) Unit	Mar. 31, 2015 Segment	Dec. 31, 2014 USD ($) AssetsGroup	Sep. 30, 2014 USD ($) Unit AssetsGroup	Dec. 31, 2016 USD ($) School State Campus Segment AssetsGroup		Dec. 31, 2015 USD ($)		Dec. 31, 2014 USD ($) AssetsGroup
Business Activities [Abstract]
Number of schools | School									28
Number of states in which schools operate across the United States | State	15								15
Number of campuses treated as destination schools | Campus									5
Number of reportable segments | Segment						3			2
Goodwill and Other Intangible Assets [Abstract]
Pre-tax non-cash impairment charge for goodwill and intangible assets									$ 9,900
Number of units impaired | Unit					1			10
Goodwill impairment loss pre tax charge					$ 200			$ 39,000
Goodwill, discontinued operations	$ 0	[1]	$ 8,759	[1]			$ 1,300	$ 38,800	$ 0	[1]	$ 8,759	[1]	$ 1,300
Impairment of Long-Lived Assets [Abstract]
Impairment of long-lived assets			0
Number of assets groups impaired | AssetsGroup	2						1	6	2				1
Pretax charge related to impairment of land and buildings	$ 3,900
Pretax charge related to leasehold improvements							$ 1,500	$ 1,900
Impairment related to discontinued operations								400	$ 7,600
Pretax charges related to definite-lived intangible assets								500
Impairment charge of intangible asset discontinued operations								500
Liquidity [Abstract]
Cash and cash equivalents	47,700								47,700
Restricted cash	26,700								26,700
Net, assets held for sale	13,208		32,037						13,208		32,037
Amount required to pay down debt									$ 10,000
Revenue Recognition [Abstract]
Reduction of net revenues											(300)
Reduction of bad debt expense											(200)
Increase in loss from continuing operations											100
Reduction in student receivables											(100)
Cash and Cash Equivalents [Abstract]
Maximum maturity period for classification of cash equivalents									3 months
Restricted Cash and Investments [Abstract]
Restricted cash in long-term assets	20,252		$ 15,259						$ 20,252		15,259
Advertising Costs [Abstract]
Advertising expense									18,200		$ 17,900		$ 18,000
Concentration of Credit Risk [Abstract]
Federal deposit insurance limit	250								250
Excess cash, FDIC insured amount	$ 46,300								$ 46,300
Transportation and Skilled Trades [Member]
Goodwill and Other Intangible Assets [Abstract]
Goodwill impairment loss pre tax charge					$ 200			200
Impairment of Long-Lived Assets [Abstract]
Pretax charge related to leasehold improvements							$ 1,500	$ 1,500

[1] Amount is reduced by an $8.8 million impairment charge in 2016 related to goodwill.