Paramount+ has set January 28, 2026, for the return of School Spirits, dropping the first three episodes of Season 3 on the same day and unveiling a new teaser at CCXP in São Paulo that pushes Peyton List’s teen-afterlife drama into darker territory. The premiere date and footage were announced during a convention panel attended by List, who also produces the series, with the streamer positioning the launch as a key early-year YA event.
Season 3 picks up after the second season’s double twist, which left Maddie Nears alive again while her best friend Simon remained trapped on the other side. The official synopsis describes a story where the “veil between worlds” grows dangerously thin: Maddie struggles with disturbing visions and the burden of protecting both the living students of Split River High and the ghosts who never left, while Simon, now bound to the school’s supernatural scars, digs into the history that created them.
List told fans at CCXP that Maddie faces a painful choice about where she belongs as those visions intensify, framing the new season as a test of how far the character will go to fix the damage done in earlier episodes. The teaser leans into that pressure: quick cuts show Maddie back in hallways that no longer feel safe, Simon stalking empty classrooms in ghost form and flashes of spectral energy tearing through the school.
The core ensemble returns, including Kristian Ventura as Simon, Milo Manheim as Wally, Sarah Yarkin as Rhonda and Nick Pugliese as Charley. Behind the scenes, Paramount+ has upgraded Ci Hang Ma (Quinn) and Miles Elliot (Yuri) to series regulars and expanded the cast with Jennifer Tilly as school superintendent Dr. Deborah Hunter-Price, Ari Dalbert as Kyle and Erika Swayze as Livia, roles designed to tie the living administration of Split River High more tightly to its haunted past. Production on the new season began in Vancouver over the summer.
The renewal came quickly after Season 2, which drew a 91% critic score on Rotten Tomatoes and lifted viewership by nearly 94% over the show’s first run in its first 28 days on Paramount+, according to Decider’s reporting. The series also found a second life when Season 1 landed on Netflix in late 2023, widening the audience for its mix of teen mystery and afterlife drama before Paramount+ ordered Seasons 2 and 3 in close succession. With January’s launch, School Spirits moves into a third year as one of the streamer’s most visible YA genre plays.
