What time is School Spirits set in? Speculations explored

School Spirits combines the supernatural with everyday teen drama and made its debut on Paramount+ on March 9, 2023. Although the show doesn't explicitly say what year it's happening in, if you pay attention to the kind of tech the characters use, the way they dress, and the things they talk about, you can tell School Spirits is set pretty much in the current time.

The story takes place in a high school that's modern and follows a girl named Maddie Nears. School Spirits doesn't just stick to the present, though. It has ghosts from different times, giving us little hints of what school life was like in the past. These ghosts from bygone eras show us how much things have changed and how some things still stay the same.

When you watch School Spirits, you're not just seeing the supernatural; you're also getting a look at modern high school life and the way it connects to the past through these ghostly echoes.

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What is the timeline of School Spirits?

At the center of School Spirits, there's an interesting story about a girl named Maddie Nears. She's stuck in the afterlife because she passed away too soon. Even though it is not specified which year School Spirits is set in, the show takes place in the present day. Nonetheless, the show tells stories from different times in the past, going all the way back to the time just after World War II ended.

A Reddit analysis put together a timeline for the show, and it starts around 1945. It shows us how the lives of students and teachers have been connected to this one school, Split River High, for a very long time. The first sad thing that happens is a fire in 1958, where two people lost their lives. Then, as the story moves through the years, like the 1960s, 1980s, and 1990s, we learn about more people who died there.

Even though the show is happening now, or at least when it aired in 2023, the ghosts still have bits of their own time with them. Like, the ghosts from the '60s talk like people did back then, and the ones from the '80s wear clothes and listen to music from that era. It's like they're stuck in a memory of their time.

It's not just that the ghosts are there, but their stories and the things that happened to them still have a hold on the school and the people who are there now.

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Fashion and tech seen on School Spirits

The show nails today's high school scene, especially with social media, the latest tech, and what teens are into these days. Take Maddie, for instance; she's always got her smartphone and dresses just like the kids you'd see strutting down the hallways in their favorite brands. But the show throws in some nostalgic flavors too, like the way the ghosts are decked out in clothes that are reminiscent of the past decades.

The clothes that the characters wear are a fashion show that lays out the dressing styles from then and now. The regular folks are in all the trendy gear like jeans and flannel, stuff you'd see on a typical school day. Meanwhile, there are some ghosts rocking outfits from the older decades, which makes for some pretty cool visuals.

This show is a love letter to our screen-obsessed world. You've got social media, characters texting each other constantly, and all the modern conveniences that we couldn't live without. Even if there is no clarity about the time during which the show is set, it shows how we live now but with a wink to the past.

Even the tunes they play, like some sweet 90s jams, give you those warm nostalgic feels while keeping the show in the here and now.

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Watch School Spirits on Paramount+.

Read up on these School Spirits characters: Yuri | Mr. Martin | Wally