Several people sitting in a classroom, with different styles of dress.

All Major Actors & Cast for School Spirits

School Spirits is a ghost story with a difference, but just which actors are helping bring it to life? If you’re wondering who is starring in this Paramount+ original, here are all major actors and cast for School Spirits.

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Every Major Actor & Cast List For School Spirits

School Spirits tells the story of Maddie Nears, a girl who one day vanishes from her high school. At least, that’s how her friends see it — but Maddie is wandering around as a ghost, trying to solve her own disappearance, whether it be accident or murder. Here are the key players in Maddie’s afterlife detective story.

Peyton List as Maddie Nears

Maddie Nears is a student at Split River High in Wisconsin but, with one exception, none of the living students can see her. Instead, she can only interact with the school’s other ghosts. This could make solving her own murder hard. She’s played by Peyton List who you may recognise as the bottom-kicking bad girl Tory from Cobra Kai.

Kristian Ventura as Simon Elroy

Simon Elroy is one of Maddie’s closest friends and the only living person so far who can see her. It’s good to have someone amongst the land of the living she can communicate with — after all, it’s not as if he’s a suspect, right? Right? He’s played by Kristian Ventura who has cropped up in a few small parts but this is his first major role.

Kiara Pichardo as Nicole Herrera

Nicole Herrera is another of Maddie’s friends who, like Simon, is trying to get to the bottom of her friend’s disappearance. She can’t hear Maddie though, and there’s the risk that whoever’s behind Maddie’s situation will come after her. You may recognise Kiara Pichardo, who portrays Maddison in The Society, a show that Netfix renewed then unrenewed.

Nick Pugliese as Charley

Charley is the first ghost Maddie meets and he explains the limitations of what she can and can’t do as a ghost. He goes on to become her afterlife friend but he has a pretty tragic backstory of his own. He’s played by Nick Pugliese who, apart from appearing in a few other things, co-wrote and acted in this short.

Josh Zuckerman as Mr. Martin

Mr. Martin is a teacher who died at the school and so, like Maddie, spends his afterlife there. He seems well-meaning but, as Maddie is discovering, being murdered makes you paranoid. Can Mr. Martin really be trusted? He’s played by Josh Zuckerman who’s had a wealth of TV and movie roles though it’s my duty to tell you that he was also Young Doctor Evil in Austin Powers: Goldmember.

Sarah Yarkin as Rhonda

Rhonda is another student ghost, who was killed by her guidance counsellor. It’s not as messed up as Charley’s demise but it’s still pretty horrifying. She befriends Maddie and, with the others, tries to help her remember how she died. Rhonda is played by Sarah Yarkin, who you may recognise from time-looping murder mystery Happy Death Day 2U.

Spencer MacPherson as Xavier Baxter

Xavier is — or was — Maddie’s boyfriend, and one of the last people to see her alive. He previously killed a rat in front of her, despite her objections, which suggests their relationship wasn’t exactly healthy. So, naturally, we’re meant to think he’s the one who offed Maddie. But is he a red herring? You’ll have to watch to find out. You may recognise Spencer MacPherson, who plays Xavier, from the third season of American Gods.

Milo Manheim as Wally Clark

Wally Clark has ’80s written all over him, not because he’s into retro but because he died in the 80s. He’s another Split River High spirit, who Maddie can interact with. He’s also a potential love interest though given that… well, I won’t spoil it for you. He’s played by Milo Manheim who was one of the two leads in Disney’s Zombies trilogy.

Those are the main characters, but School Spirits has a wider cast too. Here are all the named characters who appear in the show.

  • Alison Thornton as Chloe
  • Andres Soto as Mr. Figueroa
  • Andrew Alvarez as Young Mr. Figueroa
  • Christian Lagasse as Andy
  • Hannah Bos as Young Maddie
  • Ian Tracey as Sheriff Baxter
  • Jayce Barreiro as Mr. Graziano
  • Kalyn Miles as Ms. Fields
  • Katarina Mueller as Tira
  • Luvia Petersen as Hayes
  • Maria Dizzia as Sandra Nears
  • Mark Chavez as Mr. Balkin
  • Monroe McWilliams as Young Claire
  • Patrick Gilmore as Mr. Anderson
  • Patti Kim as Ms. Chung
  • Peggy Carlson as Bea
  • Peter New as Mr. South
  • RaeAnne Boon as Dawn
  • Rainbow Wedell as Claire Zomer
  • Ramon Terrell as Stewart
  • Sunita Prasad as Zeva
  • Tara Pratt as Young Bea
  • Vanessa Prasad as Kirsten
  • Zarina Sterling as Crystal
  • Zoë Christie as Mina

Those are all major actors and cast for School Spirits season 1, though you can expect season 2 to introduce some new players.


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Chris McMullen
Chris McMullen is a freelance contributor at The Escapist and has been with the site since 2020. He returned to writing about games following several career changes, with his most recent stint lasting five-plus years. He hopes that, through his writing work, he settles the karmic debt he incurred by persuading his parents to buy a Mega CD. Outside of The Escapist, Chris covers news and more for GameSpew. He's also been published at such sites as VG247, Space, and more. His tastes run to horror, the post-apocalyptic, and beyond, though he'll tackle most things that aren't exclusively sports-based. At Escapist, he's covered such games as Infinite Craft, Lies of P, Starfield, and numerous other major titles.