To some, high school can feel a bit like “a jail cell, a penitentiary” — but what if you actually couldn’t leave? That’s the premise behind Paramount+’s hit show School Spirits, which follows teenager Maddie Nears as her spirit haunts Split River High School, investigating her own murder following her apparent death (more on that later).
School Spirits was an immediate hit with audiences when it premiered in 2023, and the highly anticipated third season just released on Jan. 28, 2026. Part of the show’s draw is its strong cast and memorable characters, so we put together this guide to the cast and characters of School Spirits to help you get up to speed before diving into Season 3.
Don’t forget: You can watch School Spirits and other great shows on Paramount+ through your DIRECTV subscription, and you can catch the first two seasons of School Spirits on Netflix! Sign up today.
‘School Spirits’ Cast & Characters
Here’s a rundown of who’s who on Season 3 of School Spirits.
Beware: Spoilers from Seasons 1 & 2 ahead!
The Lead
Peyton List as Maddie Nears
Known for: Jessie, Cobra Kai
Peyton List’s Maddie Nears is the main character of School Spirits. At the outset of the series, Maddie wakes up as a ghost haunting her school, Split River High School, with no memory of how she died or why she ended up becoming a ghost. As the first season progresses, she meets other ghosts from the school’s past and begins to look into the possibility that she was murdered in the school’s boiler room.
Maddie is unable to communicate with the living in the school, with the exception of her best friend, Simon. She runs down a few leads before discovering, in a major twist at the end of the Season 1, that she is, in fact, still alive. Her body has instead been possessed by another ghost, Janet, who wants to escape the school.
It’s also revealed that Mr. Martin, the deceased science teacher, is also a villain who caused a fire in the 50s that killed himself and Janet but lied to her for decades about it to control her.
In Season 2, Maddie and Simon lead a team of ghosts and living members of the school population to hunt Janet down and reclaim her body. It’s also discovered that Mr. Martin is using the other ghosts’ traumatic experiences to study the metaphysics of the afterlife.
At the end of the season, she is able to reclaim her body, but at a cost: She suffers from terrifying visions of the afterlife.
The Living
Here are some of the allies helping Maddie from the living world.
Kristian Ventura as Simon Elroy
Known for: Grey Matter, Reboot
Simon is Maddie’s best friend, and the only person who is able to see and communicate with her in the afterlife. Simon helps Maddie investigate her death, but his encounters with the afterlife on her behalf end up putting him in serious danger. At the end of Season 2, he gets stuck in the afterlife, trapped inside Mr. Martin’s “scar” where he begins investigating why so many members of the Split River community have died in the past.
Season 3 will likely focus on an inversion of the first two season’s plotline: Maddie must now save Simon, instead of the other way around.
Spencer MacPherson as Xavier Baxter
Known for: Defiance, Reign, Degrassi: Next Class
Xavier is Maddie’s ex-boyfriend and initially a prime target of her investigation into her death. The two had split after it was revealed in Season 1 that he had been cheating on Maddie, but as the series progresses Xavier becomes a key ally in her efforts to solve her murder and escape the afterlife.
In Season 2, Xavier himself almost dies — an experience that grants him the ability to see ghosts. Among those spirits? Maddie’s father. He serves as a crucial bridge between the worlds of the living and the dead.
Kiara Pichardo as Nicole Herrera
Known for: The Society, Mother/Android
Nicole is a living student in Split River who helps Maddie and Simon with their investigation by providing access to the school’s other students, staff and records. In Season 3, she’s starting to realize that Maddie’s situation has caused dangerous elements of the afterlife to bleed through to the living world.
The Ghosts
Maddie also has friends and enemies among the deceased. Here’s a look at the other ghosts who she interacts with.
Milo Manheim as Wally Clark
Known for: Thanksgiving, Journey to Bethlehem
Wally is a charismatic teenage ghost and former high school jock who died during a football game at Split River High. Though he initially plays the light-hearted “lovable ghost,” his character deepens as he wrestles with the legacy of his death, his unresolved feelings about life and his romantic feelings for Maddie. Wally often adds comedic relief and grounds the group, prompting others to confront their own regrets.
Sarah Yarkin as Rhonda
Known for: Texas Chainsaw Massacre
Rhonda is part of the ghost group, but she has her own backstory and motivations. While Wally is a source of emotional stability, Rhonda carries a rage about her situation and death with her and has more commonly been a source of tension in the group. Murdered by her guidance counselor in the 70s, Rhona is much more likely to buck the norm and break the rules to address a situation she views as morally unjust.
Nick Pugliese as Charley
Known for: Dramarama, 13 Reasons Why
Charley is a teenage ghost at Split River High who becomes one of Maddie’s first and most loyal allies in the afterlife. He died of an allergic reaction to peanuts and is haunted by insecurity and questions about his identity.
Charley helps Maddie navigate the social and supernatural politics of ghost life and supports her investigation into the group members’ deaths. His emotional honesty and efforts to repair relationships make him an important emotional component of the cast.
Rainbow Wedell as Clair Zomer
Known for: The Wilds, The Bureau of Magical Things
Claire is the head cheerleader at Split River High and Maddie’s former childhood friend. Xavier cheated on Maddie with Claire, which makes her presence in the group a constant point of tension. She takes an active role in the investigation into what happened to Maddie, grappling with guilt and grief for her friend as they uncover the mysteries of Split River High.
Josh Zuckerman as Mr. Martin
Known for:
Mr. Martin is one of the adult ghosts and a former teacher at Split River High who leads the ghost group when Maddie first arrives. Though he initially appears to be a mentor to the younger ghosts, he actually ends up being the main villain, implicated in the other ghosts’ deaths and manipulation in the afterlife.
In Season 3, his actions drive major plot twists, including Simon’s entrapment in the afterlife as the veil between worlds weakens.
Ci Hang Ma as Quinn
Known for: Star Trek: Strange New Worlds, Departure
Quinn is the ghost of a marching band member who died in the school bus crash that ties many of the show’s characters together. Along with Yuri, she has been promoted to the main cast for Season 3.
Quinn represents the cohort of spirits with lingering attachments to high school life, and her journey involves learning to forgive herself and process her sudden death. In Season 3, her interactions with other ghosts are used to explore deeper themes around confronting unfinished emotional business, a core reason a person becomes a ghost.
Miles Elliot as Yuri
Known for: Preacher, Vice Principals
Yuri is another of the ghosts who died in the 1970s and is initially quiet and a bit mysterious. Yuri eventually bonds with Charley, and his story highlights the diversity of the spirits trapped in the school and explores themes of moving on from unresolved trauma.
Jess Gabor as Janet
Known for: Austin Powers in Goldmember, Feast
Janet is a ghost from the 1950s whose presence dramatically reshapes the series’ plot in the Season 1 twist. In Season 2, she has stolen Maddie’s body and lives in the physical world while Maddie’s spirit is trapped among the ghosts — a twist that reveals deeper afterlife mechanics and Mr. Martin’s sinister involvement.
Janet is not inherently evil or malicious. Rather, her motivations stem from her own desire to return to life. (The fire that killed Mr. Martin also claimed Janet’s life.)
Watch ‘School Spirits’ on DIRECTV
You can catch up on the first two seasons of School Spirits and watch Season 3 on Paramount+ with DIRECTV. Get started today!
Frequently Asked Questions
Where can I watch School Spirits?
School Spirits Seasons 1 and 2 can be streamed on Paramount+ or Netflix, while Season 3 is streaming on Paramount+.
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