Welcome to our roundup of the 10 most haunted high schools on the planet. From remote islands to bustling cities, these institutions have earned a reputation for restless spirits, unexplained phenomena, and stories that keep students and staff up at night.
10 Most Haunted High Schools
10 Turakina Māori Girls’ College, New Zealand
In 2015, two boarders at Turakina Māori Girls’ College fled the campus, insisting a cloaked figure in a black cape and hat had threatened them. The school’s administration initially dismissed the claim as a fabrication, prompting angry parents to intervene. Some families accused the board of denying the presence of the kehua, a local term for a ghost, especially after a reverend suggested the apparition might be genuine.
Decades later, former student Kelly Sliepen, now 38, recounted her own eerie experience: while in the hostel, a cup slid across a table on its own and crashed to the floor. A minister was called to bless the building, yet shortly thereafter Kelly saw an apparition on the main staircase, confirming the lingering supernatural presence.
The college ultimately shut its doors in 2016 when financial woes drove enrollment down from 152 students to a mere 47, ending its turbulent chapter.
9 Hibbing High School, Minnesota
Hibbing High isn’t your run‑of‑the‑mill school; its marble staircases, brass railings, and art‑deco walls give it a near‑medieval grandeur. The auditorium, modeled after the Capitol Theatre, dazzles visitors, and even future legend Bob Dylan performed there as a teen during a talent show.
However, the true draw for ghost hunters is a solitary seat in the auditorium. The first stage manager, Bill, served from 1927 until the late 1960s, when a chandelier tragically fell on his head, ending his life.
Rumors quickly spread that Bill never truly left his favorite spot, seat J‑47. In the early 1990s, long‑time stage manager Chuck Perry photographed the auditorium after a woman reported a sudden chill near that row. One Polaroid captured a translucent gentleman in formal attire and a top hat occupying seat J‑47, as if still watching the performances.
Since then, whispers of Bill’s lingering presence have kept the seat infamous among students and staff alike.
8 Downlands Sacred Heart College, Queensland, Australia
During wartime, this Toowoomba secondary school doubled as military quarters, spawning a slew of ghostly legends. Among them: a fiery man screaming across campus, a priest forever wandering the on‑site chapel, and a woman’s apparition haunting the administration building.
In 2015, a local paranormal team released a historic class photograph that appeared to contain a ghostly figure among a group of boys. The blurry silhouette in the top‑right corner wore the same uniform as the students, and the image now hangs on a school wall as alleged proof of supernatural activity.
7 Old Maui High School, Hawaii
Constructed in 1913 amid missionary and sugar‑cane plantation expansion, Maui High moved to a new site in 1972, leaving the original building to decay. The crumbling shell now serves as a backdrop for several unsettling tales.
Hawaiian belief holds that the dead return to places they loved in life. At Old Maui, former students and teachers are said to still roam the grounds, occasionally interacting with the living. Explorers of the ruins have reported being choked by unseen hands.
Visitors also claim to hear the anguished sobbing of a girl from a former bathroom, adding another layer to the school’s haunting reputation.
6 Rizal High School, Philippines
The Philippines is famed for its spectral folklore, and Rizal High added its own legend in 2015 when two students captured a ghost in a bathroom selfie. After reviewing the photo, they noticed a dark‑haired girl in black clothing crouching beside a trash can in the background.
The figure’s eerie stare sparked a viral frenzy, with many noting the resemblance to Samara from The Ring. The students swore the image was authentic, and subsequent reports of ghostly sightings multiplied across the campus.
In response, the school administration contemplated a blessing ceremony to cleanse the building of any lingering spirits.
5 Old Portland High School, Michigan
Opened in 1881, the Portland, Ionia County school became the center of a tragic legend: in 1918, a 14‑year‑old student was crushed beneath collapsing gym bleachers. The negligent janitor vanished, and the grieving father allegedly murdered the janitor, burned his remains, and set fire to the school. Rebuilt in 1920, the building retained the hauntings of both the girl and the janitor.
Converted into the Old School Manor housing complex from 1992 to 2008, tenants reported strange phenomena: personal items disappearing only to reappear stacked elsewhere, phantom school bells ringing, and encounters with the girl’s ghost, who reportedly slapped occupants on the back.
One resident recounted a terrifying episode where the janitor’s spirit terrorized her two‑year‑old daughter, ultimately forcing the family to vacate the premises.
4 Nightmute High School, Alaska
Even without a confirmed haunting, Nightmute’s name alone feels eerie. The most famous story involves a solitary girl spirit haunting the school’s bathrooms, flushing toilets and flickering lights. In the gym, basketballs have been known to launch themselves toward the hoop as if propelled by an unseen force.
Legend says the girl was a loner in life, often shunned by peers, and after her death she roamed the corridors seeking companionship. Rumors also speak of a burial discovered beneath room 106, the very location where her apparition frequently appears.
3 Hwa Chong Institution, Singapore
Singapore boasts at least 20 haunted schools, and Hwa Chong Institution ranks among the most notorious. Nestled among towering trees, night‑time visitors are warned never to shine flashlights toward the branches, lest the spirits of WWII victims—those murdered and hung by Japanese forces—manifest.
The campus statues are also said to be alive after dark. Approaching the statue of Tan Kah Kee from behind allegedly makes it turn and ask for the time, while the eyes of the Lee Kong Chian statue glow and were subsequently covered.
Some locals claim the school’s playing field was originally shaped like a tombstone, a design choice that may have seeded the lingering hauntings.
2 Jeppe High School for Boys, South Africa
Located in Kensington, Johannesburg, Jeppe High School for Boys shares its history with the city’s gold‑rush era. Built to educate miners’ children, its main building and war memorial earned national monument status in 1986.
The school is haunted by a sorrowful female spirit who roams the corridors, frightening boarders. One tale says she took her own life after her husband perished in World War I; another version claims she was a mother whose son died on the sports field from a javelin accident, prompting her to leap from a nearby hill, become decapitated, and wander the halls clutching her head while wailing for her child.
1 Las Vegas High School, Nevada
Las Vegas dazzles with neon lights, glitz, and ghostly lore. The city’s first official high school, founded in 1931 as Las Vegas Academy of the Arts, later became the Las Vegas High School. Its most infamous resident is former teacher Mr. Petri, who perished in a mysterious fire and is said to haunt the theater.
Even after the school transformed into an arts academy, reports persist: a man in a white tuxedo occupies a specific theater seat, sudden temperature drops chill visitors, and an overwhelming sadness overtakes those who step inside.
Teacher John Morris, initially skeptical, recounted a bizarre incident during a production of The Spoon River Project. While setting up a fog‑filled fake cemetery, the play’s director claimed a naked Mexican boy appeared beside her, pleading for clothing before vanishing.
Morris dismissed the story, yet later that night, after ensuring doors were locked, his three‑year‑old daughter was playing on a mock grave mound. She insisted she didn’t want to leave because a friend—an invisible boy—was still there. When she finally spoke up, she said, “It’s that little boy over there; he doesn’t have any clothes on.”