Honestly, if you’re like me, you probably finished that last episode of the second season and immediately started pacing around your living room. That ending wasn’t just a twist; it was a total structural shift for the entire show. Now, everyone is asking the same thing: will there be a season 3 of School Spirits or are we going to be left haunting the halls of Split River High forever without answers?
Streaming data is a fickle beast. We’ve seen shows with massive cult followings get the axe after two seasons just because the "completion rate" wasn't high enough for the suits in the boardroom. But School Spirits feels different. It’s got that Yellowjackets meets The Breakfast Club energy that Paramount+ has been leaning into lately.
The story of Maddie Nears is far from over.
The Current Status of Split River High
Right now, Paramount+ hasn't officially put pen to paper for a third season renewal. That sounds scary. I know. But don't panic yet. If we look at the timeline of how they’ve handled their YA (Young Adult) slate, they usually wait a few months after the finale of a current season to see how the "tail" of the viewership looks. That means they aren't just looking at who watched on day one, but who binged the whole thing three weeks later.
The show's creators, Nate Trinrud and Megan Trinrud, along with showrunner Oliver Goldstick, have been pretty vocal about having more stories to tell. They didn't write that finale as a series ender. They wrote it as a bridge.
The jump from Season 1 to Season 2 took a while because of the Hollywood strikes that paralyzed the industry in 2023. We aren't dealing with that this time around. If the numbers hold up—and considering the show has been a consistent Top 10 performer on the platform and gained a massive second life when it hit Netflix in certain territories—the odds are looking pretty good.
Why the Plot Demands More Episodes
You can't just leave Maddie where she is. You can't leave the "living" world and the "spirit" world in that kind of friction.
One of the biggest arguments for why will there be a season 3 of School Spirits is almost a certainty comes down to the lore. We’ve barely scratched the surface of Janet and Mr. Martin’s true history. We spent most of the first two seasons just trying to figure out the "how" of Maddie’s death, but the "why" regarding the thin veil between life and death at the school is still a giant mystery.
Remember the bunker? That wasn't just a set piece. It was a catalyst.
The show has successfully moved past the "murder mystery of the week" vibe and turned into a complex supernatural thriller. If they stop now, it’s not just a cliffhanger; it’s an incomplete narrative arc. Fans would riot. Actually, they’d probably just start a very loud TikTok campaign, which is the modern equivalent of a riot for streaming services.
The Netflix Factor
Never underestimate the power of a licensing deal.
When School Spirits Season 1 dropped on Netflix, it blew up. It introduced the show to a global audience that doesn't necessarily subscribe to Paramount+. This is the "Suits" effect. When a show gets that kind of secondary burn, the primary streamer (Paramount) gets a massive incentive to keep making it because the library value increases exponentially.
Who Would Return for a Third Outing?
If we get the green light, the core cast is basically non-negotiable. Peyton List is the engine of this show. Her portrayal of Maddie is so grounded that it keeps the ghost stuff from feeling cheesy.
- Peyton List as Maddie Nears (Obviously)
- Kristian Ventura as Simon Elroy (The heart of the show)
- Milo Manheim as Wally Clark (The ghost we all want to give a hug to)
- Sarah Yarkin as Rhonda
- Nick Pugliese as Charley
There’s also the question of the "living" cast. Maddie’s mom, Sandra, played by Maria Dizzia, became such a pivotal, heartbreaking part of the second season. Her journey toward healing—or spiraling—is a major thread that needs a resolution.
And then there's the Janet problem. Whoever is inhabiting that physical space is going to be the primary antagonist or the primary puzzle of a third season. The casting for "New Janet" or how they handle that possession is going to be the biggest talking point of the hiatus.
Production Timelines and Realistic Expectations
Let's do some quick math.
If Paramount+ announces a renewal by the end of this quarter, pre-production usually takes three to four months. Filming in Vancouver (where the school is "located") typically runs for about three months. Then you have post-production—editing, color grading, and those ghostly visual effects.
We are likely looking at a 12 to 14-month cycle. If they announce soon, we could be back at Split River High by mid-2026.
It’s a long wait. It sucks. But high-quality YA drama takes time to get the tone right. The cinematography in this show is surprisingly sophisticated for the genre, using specific color palettes to differentiate between the cold, muted world of the dead and the more vibrant (but often more painful) world of the living.
What Most People Get Wrong About the Ghost Rules
There's a lot of chatter on Reddit and Discord about the "rules" of the School Spirits universe. Some people think the ghosts can just leave if they want to.
They can't. Not yet.
The central mystery of will there be a season 3 of School Spirits actually hinges on this. Mr. Martin has been gatekeeping the truth about how to "cross over" or move on. Season 3 would likely pivot from "who killed me" to "how do we actually leave this place."
The discovery of the objects from the ghosts' past lives was a huge turning point. It suggested that the ghosts aren't just stuck because they died there, but because they are tethered by unresolved trauma and physical items. Season 3 would have to explore the "cleansing" of the school itself.
Is the school a vacuum? Or is it a prison?
Addressing the Skeptics
I've seen the comments. "The story is dragging," or "Just tell us what happened already."
I get it. Modern TV moves fast. But School Spirits is a character study disguised as a ghost story. If they rushed the ending of Season 2, we wouldn't care about Wally’s relationship with his mom or Charley’s regrets. The pacing is intentional.
The creators have mentioned in interviews that they see this as a multi-season journey. They aren't making it up as they go along; they have a "bible" for the mythology. That usually means they have at least three to four seasons mapped out in broad strokes.
Why Simon is the Secret Protagonist
While Maddie is the face of the show, Simon is the emotional proxy for the audience. His ability to see her—and the toll it takes on his mental health—is one of the most realistic depictions of grief on television.
In a potential Season 3, Simon’s role becomes even more dangerous. He’s the bridge. But bridges can break. The writers have teased that the connection between the two of them might not be as "accidental" as we first thought. If Season 3 dives into the ancestry of the students at the school, we might find out that Simon has a deeper connection to the supernatural history of Split River than he realizes.
The Impact of Fan Theories
The School Spirits fandom is intense. From analyzing the background lockers to tracking the specific clothes the ghosts wear, fans are doing the heavy lifting.
One prevailing theory is that Maddie isn't actually dead in the traditional sense. Since Janet took over her body, Maddie's soul is just "displaced." This opens up a massive door for Season 3: a quest for Maddie to reclaim her life. This would change the show from a ghost story to a "body snatcher" thriller.
If this is the direction they go, the stakes for a third season aren't just about finding peace; they're about survival.
Actionable Steps for the Fandom
If you want to ensure the answer to will there be a season 3 of School Spirits is a resounding "yes," there are actually things you can do that impact the metrics streamers care about.
- Re-watch the full series: Rewatch counts, especially within the first 28 days of a new season launch, are the #1 metric for Paramount+. Don't just watch your favorite clips; let the whole thing play.
- Engage on Socials: Use the official hashtags. Interaction on X (formerly Twitter) and TikTok creates "earned media" value that marketing teams present to executives.
- Rate it on IMDb and Rotten Tomatoes: High audience scores help the show get recommended to new viewers who are browsing for something to watch on a Friday night.
- Keep the Theories Alive: Content creators who break down episodes keep the show in the "Discover" feed, which attracts new eyes.
The cliffhanger left us with more questions than answers, which is exactly where a show needs to be to justify a renewal. We’ve seen Maddie face her trauma, but we haven't seen her win her life back. That’s the story we’re all waiting for. Based on the show’s performance and the narrative weight of the Season 2 finale, it’s not a matter of if, but when the announcement drops. Keep your eyes on the official Paramount+ social channels, as that's where the "Green Light" video will likely debut first.