The School Spirits, Maddie's ex-best friend Claire (Rainbow Wedell) seemed suspicious, as did Mr. Anderson (Patrick Gilmoe). However, both were proven innocent, and Maddie and her friends continued their search for her killer. Maddie couldn't how she died and didn't know how to jog her memory.

This was a crucial detail that hinted at the truth about Maddie's death. Another crucial piece of the puzzle was when Dawn (RaeAnne Boon) crossed over, causing some strange technological effects on the school's lights. Wally (Milo Manheim), Charley (Nick Pugliese), and Rhonda (Sarah Yarkin) realized that didn't happen when Janet crossed over, leading them to wonder if Janet actually did cross over. Mr. Martin (Josh Zuckerman) brushes the events off when they bring it up, but by the end of the episode, it's obvious why Janet didn't trigger flickering lights, and many other mysteries are also solved.

5 Maddie Is Alive: Here's What Happened To Her

Maddie Is Revealed To Be Alive In The Season Finale

The biggest mystery in School Spirits has been solved, and after how hard everyone worked to find out the truth about Maddie's death, it turns out Maddie never died in the first place. The School Spirits ending explains what happened to her. There were several hints throughout the season that suggested she might still be alive.

One of them was when she was warned against using hypnosis to try and her death because it would allow a spirit to enter her body. This is seemingly what happened to her while she was still alive. After getting into an argument with her mother, Maddie hid in the boiler room. She overheard an argument and followed the voices to a door.

When she opened it, Janet, who clearly did not cross over, jumped out and possessed her body. Mr. Martin was the one arguing with Janet proving he knows a lot more than he claimed. Another hint was when Maddie showed up for group and sat in Janet's chair, suggesting there was a connection between the two.

4 Maddie Can Speak To Simon Because She's Not Dead

Maddie First Talks To Simon In Episode 1

Another major mystery revolved around Maddie being able to speak to her friend Simon. The other spirits can only speak to each other, and anyone alive is not able to see them or talk to them. No one understood why Maddie was able to talk to Simon, but Charley theorized that maybe Simon was having a hard time moving on from Maddie's disappearance, so it triggered his ability to see and hear her.

Her spirit was able to communicate with him because even though she was outside of her body, her body was still living and being controlled by a different spirit.

It turns out the real reason was that Maddie wasn't dead. Her spirit was able to communicate with him because even though she was outside of her body, her body was still living and being controlled by a different spirit.

3 What Happened To Janet Explained

Janet Is Teased In Episode 1

Episode 7 created a lot of confusion around whether Janet actually crossed over. The School Spirits finale cleared things up. Janet never actually did cross over. Instead, she possessed Maddie's body. This is why when she left, she didn't trigger any electrical issues like Dawn did. The other spirits had never seen anyone else cross over before Dawn, so they wouldn't have been able to tell that Mr. Martin was lying about Janet crossing over.

Related
What Happened To Janet On School Spirits?

Dawn's experience with crossing over on School Spirits appeared different to everyone from when Janet crossed over, so what happened to Janet?

The teacher was connected to her taking over Maddie's body and also connected to Janet's death. According to documents the spirits found, Janet died in a fire in Mr. Martin's class, and her parents believe the teacher was responsible for starting the fire, though he tells a different story.

2 Maddie's Mom Had Her Necklace, But Didn't Kill Her

Maddie Realizes Her Necklace Is Missing In Episode 1

When Simon found the necklace Maddie was wearing the day she died in her mother's draw, they were positive her mother had something to do with her death. However, while interrogating her, Maddie had a flashback of what actually happened. Maddie's mother deals with alcoholism, and the day Maddie disappeared, she went to the school to find her daughter.

She told her she was better and had just bought a cabin for them to live in using the money Maddie's father left behind. Maddie had planned on using the saved-up money toward college and was furious her mom took it and used it for herself. Maddie accused her mother of taking away everything her father gave her and took off the necklace from her father and gave it to her mother as one last thing to take.

IMDB's Highest Rated Episodes of School Spirits

Episode Number

Title

IMDB Score

S1.E8

Madison's Body

8.3

S1.E7

Séance Anything

7.9

S1.E6

Grave the Last Dance

7.7

When Maddie returned to the present moment, she realized her mother didn't kill her and only had her necklace because of the argument they got into. Maddie was relieved to find out her mother wasn't a murderer but is still upset about the incident and all the pain she deals with because of her mother's addiction.

1 How Mr. Martin Died

Mr. Martin's Death Is Revealed In Episode 8

Mr. Martin seemed suspicious throughout School Spirits and was set on helping the other spirits move on from what happened to them instead of revisiting their trauma. During the finale, Mr. Martin revealed the reason he pushes for everyone to move on is that he finds it too painful to look back. The teacher revealed he died in a fire that he believes was his fault because he wasn't paying attention to his class, and because of his irresponsibility, a fire started.

Related
Is School Spirits Based On A Graphic Novel? Inspirations Explained

The trending teen drama School Spirits has garnered interest in the graphic novel of the same name, which is tied to the series in an unexpected way.

He says he was able to save everyone except himself, and he feels guilty that the living students have to live with the memory of experiencing the fire and watching their teacher die. However, there are some holes in Mr. Martin's story that come out when the spirits find the reports of Janet's death and that her parents believe that Mr. Martin caused the fire. Mr. Martin's real reason for not wanting to look back on the past could be because he feels guilty about starting a fire that cost Janet her life.

He also might be afraid that someone will find out the truth about what really happened on the day of the fire. Unfortunately, none of this is resolved in the School Spirits season finale. The good news is this leaves an intriguing storyline open that could be answered in the second season.

Everything Known About School Spirits Season 2

The best news is that there will be a The School Spirits season 2 production launched in January, and the main cast (List, Manheim, Ventura, Pugliese, Maherson, Yarkin, Pichardo, and Wedell) will all return with Josh Zuckerman promoted from recurring to series regular.

There is a chance that it could explore whether Maddie will be able to regain her body from Janet's possession.

Newcomers include Cihang Ma as Quinn, Jess Gabor as Janet Hamilton, Miles Elliot as Yuri, and Zack Calderon as Diego Herrera. As for the story, that remains unknown. However, there is a chance that it could explore whether Maddie will be able to regain her body from Janet's possession. That is the best bet on the overarching storyline for that second season, which would also cause a tonal change from the crime-fighting action in the first season. As of now, there is no word on when School Spirits season 2 will hit Netflix.

School Spirits TV Poster

Your Rating

School Spirits
TV-MA
Drama
Mystery
Supernatural
Release Date
March 9, 2023
Writers
Nate Trinrud, Megan Trinrud, Oliver Goldstick
  • Headshot Of Kristian Flores
    Kristian Flores
  • Headshot Of Milo Manheim
    Milo Manheim

WHERE TO WATCH

Streaming

Based on the graphic novel, School Spirits is a supernatural mystery-drama series set in a high-school setting focusing on the afterlife. When teenage Maddie finds herself in the afterlife, she spends her idle time trying to investigate why she went missing. However, her high-school sleuthing leads her down a path that only yields more questions and uncovers a more sinister plot underneath her own demise.

Seasons
2