Buzz
During my high school years, I had what I believed to be a ghostly encounter.
At least, that’s what I thought at the time. One evening, during a school fundraising event, I accompanied a group of classmates to a temporary classroom on the far end of the building to collect foldable chairs. As we approached, we noticed a green face pressed against the window, illuminated faintly by the night light. Terrified, we immediately turned and ran without looking back.
The following day, mustering up our courage, we revisited the classroom before the first bell. To our relief and amusement, we discovered the 'ghostly face' was merely a green rubber mask pressed against the glass.
However, not all eerie tales are as harmless as a Halloween mask. This list features chilling stories of haunted high schools, some more spine-tingling than others, that continue to circulate in school gossip to this day.
10. Turakina Māori Girls’ College, New Zealand
In 2015, two boarding students at Turakina Māori Girls’ College abruptly left the school, claiming they were threatened by a ghostly figure dressed in a black cape and hat. The school administration accused the girls of inventing the story, sparking outrage among their parents, who criticized the school’s handling of the situation. Some parents argued that the school was ignoring the presence of a kehua (ghost) haunting the hostel. Tensions escalated when a local reverend suggested the ghost might have been fabricated, further angering the community.
A former student, Kelly Sliepen, aged 38, later shared her own eerie experiences from two decades prior. She recounted an incident where a cup inexplicably slid across a table and fell to the floor in front of her and her classmates. Despite a local minister blessing the building, Sliepen claimed to have seen a ghostly figure on the main staircase shortly afterward.
The school ultimately closed its doors in 2016 due to financial difficulties, as student enrollment plummeted from 152 to just 47.
9. Hibbing High School, Minnesota
Hibbing High School stands out from ordinary school buildings with its unique architectural charm. Marble staircases, brass railings, and art deco walls come together to create a design that feels almost medieval in its grandeur.
The school’s auditorium was inspired by the Capitol Theatre, a breathtaking structure in its own right. It was on this very stage that Bob Dylan, then known as Robert Zimmerman, performed during a talent show while he was a student at Hibbing High.
Despite its star-studded history and stunning architecture, the auditorium is best known for a single seat. Legend has it that Bill, the first stage manager, who worked at the school from 1927 until the late 1960s, met his tragic end when a chandelier fell on him.
Whispers soon spread that Bill never truly left his favorite seat, J-47. In the early 1990s, Chuck Perry, the stage manager since 1979, took a series of Polaroid photos after a woman reported feeling an icy chill near row J-47. One of the photos revealed a transparent figure dressed in formal attire and a top hat, sitting in seat J-47—a sight that sent shivers down everyone’s spines.
8. Downlands Sacred Heart College, Queensland, Australia
This Toowoomba-based secondary school served as military barracks during wartime, giving rise to numerous ghostly tales. Among the most famous are sightings of a man engulfed in flames, a priest haunting the chapel, and a spectral woman appearing in the administration building.
In 2015, a local paranormal investigation group shared a historic class photo from the school, claiming it captured a ghostly figure among the students. The blurry image, located in the top right corner, appears to wear the same uniform as the boys. This photo, now displayed on a school wall, is often cited as evidence of supernatural occurrences.
7. Old Maui High School, Hawaii
The arrival of missionaries and sugarcane plantation owners in Maui led to the establishment of Maui High School in 1913. After the school moved to a new location in 1972, the original building was left to decay. Today, only the skeletal remains of the once-grand structure stand, accompanied by a collection of chilling ghost stories.
In Hawaiian culture, it is widely believed that the deceased often return to places they cherished in life. At Old Maui High, legends tell of students and teachers who still roam the grounds, occasionally interacting with the living. Some explorers of the ruins have claimed to be nearly strangled by unseen forces, while others have reported hearing the sorrowful cries of a girl emanating from the remnants of a former bathroom.
6. Rizal High School, Philippines
The Philippines is renowned for its ghostly tales, and in 2015, a photograph taken at Rizal High School added to the lore. Two students snapped a selfie in front of bathroom sinks, only to later discover a mysterious figure crouching near a trash can in the background. The eerie image sparked widespread fascination and fear.
Upon closer examination, the figure appeared to be a girl with long black hair dressed in dark clothing, staring intently at the two friends.
The selfie quickly went viral, with social media users pointing out the ghost’s resemblance to Samara from The Ring. The students insisted the photo was genuine, and soon, more classmates came forward with accounts of ghostly sightings on campus.
In response, the school administration contemplated holding a blessing ceremony to cleanse the building of any supernatural presence.
5. Old Portland High School, Michigan
The historic high school in Portland, Ionia County, Michigan, first opened its doors in 1881. Legend has it that in 1918, a 14-year-old student tragically died when gym bleachers collapsed on her. The janitor, who had neglected to repair the faulty bleachers, vanished shortly after. Many believe the girl’s father killed the janitor in retaliation, burned his body, and set the school ablaze. Although the school was rebuilt and reopened in 1920, the spirits of the girl and the janitor are said to linger.
Years later, the school was transformed into a residential complex called Old School Manor. From 1992 to 2008, residents reported strange occurrences, such as household items vanishing and reappearing stacked in another room. Some heard the sound of school bells ringing inexplicably, while others claimed to have been slapped on the back by the ghost of the student.
One tenant had a particularly terrifying encounter with the janitor’s ghost. She claimed the spirit harassed her two-year-old daughter and insisted they leave the apartment immediately.
4. Nightmute High School, Alaska
Even without supernatural activity, the school’s name alone evokes a sense of dread. Among the tales told, the story of a lonely girl is the most haunting.
Legend has it that the ghost of a young girl haunts the school’s bathrooms, where she flushes toilets and causes lights to flicker. In the gym, basketballs left unattended are said to shoot toward the hoop as if guided by an invisible hand.
During her lifetime, the girl was a loner, often lingering on the fringes of social gatherings before being shooed away. Rumors also suggest that a burial site was discovered beneath room 106, the same location where her ghost is frequently seen.
3. Las Vegas High School, Nevada
Las Vegas, known for its glitz and glamour, also harbors a darker side with numerous haunted locations, including Zak Bagans’ The Haunted Museum, Westgate, and The Luxor.
Originally established in 1931 as Las Vegas High School, the institution is now the Las Vegas Academy of the Arts. It is said to be haunted by the ghost of Mr. Petri, a former teacher who perished in a suspicious fire. Even after the school’s transformation, reports of paranormal activity persisted, with sightings of a man in a white tuxedo in the theater and sudden cold spots accompanied by overwhelming sadness.
John Morris, a teacher, initially dismissed the ghost stories but later recounted his own eerie encounter. During a production of The Spoon River Project, the play’s director claimed to see a naked Mexican boy standing beside her, asking for clothes before vanishing into thin air.
Morris dismissed the director’s claims, attributing them to an overactive imagination. The evening proceeded smoothly, and after everyone departed, only Morris and his three-year-old daughter remained in the theater. As Morris secured the doors, his daughter played on a grassy prop from the play, insisting she wasn’t ready to leave because she was playing with a friend.
Seeing no one around, Morris assumed she was referring to an imaginary friend and allowed her a few more minutes to play. His daughter then pointed and said, “It’s that little boy over there; he’s not wearing any clothes.”
2. Jeppe High School for Boys, South Africa
In Kensington, Johannesburg, the prestigious Jeppe High School for Boys stands as a testament to the city’s history. Established four years after gold was discovered on the Witwatersrand, the school was built to educate miners’ children. Its main building and war memorial, declared national monuments in 1986, hold significant historical value.
Jeppe Boys’ is also infamous for a ghostly woman who roams its halls, terrifying students in the on-site hostel. Legend says she took her own life after her husband died in WWI. Another tale claims she was the mother of a student who died tragically on the sports field, leading her to leap from a nearby hill. Her headless spirit is said to wander the corridors, clutching her head and weeping for her son.
1. Hwa Chong Institution, Singapore
Singapore is home to numerous haunted schools, with Hwa Chong Institution in Bukit Timah being one of the most notorious. Surrounded by towering trees, the school is rumored to be a hotspot for paranormal activity. Visitors are warned to avoid the trees at night and never shine a flashlight into their branches.
Shining a light into the trees is said to reveal the apparitions of those executed by Japanese forces during WWII. Adding to the eerie atmosphere, the statues on the school grounds are rumored to be haunted. For example, the statue of Tan Kah Kee is believed to turn around and ask for the time if someone approaches it from behind. Similarly, the statue of Lee Kong Chian had its eyes covered after reports of them glowing in the dark.
Legend has it that the school’s field was once shaped like a tombstone, which many believe is the root cause of the paranormal activity plaguing the area.
