Creepy abandoned classrooms where school is out, forever

History lessons

School’s out forever at these abandoned educational buildings from around the world – bells no longer ringing, corridors silent, blackboards never to be written on again. But having evaded the bulldozers thus far, these disused schools, colleges and universities survive either as ghostly relics or as repurposed spaces with a hidden past. Who knows what stories the walls would tell if they could? Please note that some of these sites are inaccessible and fenced off for good reason, so don't go trespassing.

Click through this gallery to see abandoned schools and campuses that will haunt your dreams...

Uwaoka Elementary School, Ibaraki, Japan

Completed in 1879 during Japan's Meiji era (a period of Japanese history running from 1868-1912), Uwaoka Elementary School comprises three interconnected spaces that welcomed students all the way up to 2001. Its wooden skeleton is a fine example of Meiji architecture, with pretty sakura (cherry blossoms) draped over its roof in the spring.

While many of the world’s abandoned campuses have been left forgotten or neglected, this school has been saved from wrack and ruin...

Uwaoka Elementary School, Ibaraki, Japan

The former Uwaoka Elementary School is the oldest locally-preserved school building in Ibaraki Prefecture, which is now managed and maintained by residents of the area and up to four generations of graduated pupils. It's open to visitors on weekends and public holidays, who will see for themselves how the worn desks and chairs are still laid out in lines, as if a swarm of excited children are about to burst through the door.

Ruby Schoolhouse, Arizona, USA

It's been a long time since this late 19th-century mining camp saw its last resident, but the shadows of its past remain remarkably present. At one point, over 1,000 people were thought to have lived at Ruby. A school was built to educate the town's children, where four teachers oversaw eight grades. It is said that more than 150 children attended the school at Ruby’s population peak in 1938.

Ruby Schoolhouse, Arizona, USA

After mining activities petered out at Ruby, it became a hippie commune from the late 1960s to the early 1970s, before being added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1975. While much of Ruby’s buildings are dilapidated, the schoolhouse has retained its structure and is one of the best-preserved properties in the town.

There are books and pieces of furniture still inside, with a slide and teeter-totter board in the yard. It’s possible to visit Ruby on a self-guided tour from Wednesday to Sunday, which helps support its conservation efforts.

Escuelas Concentradas de Talca, Maule, Chile

After an earthquake devastated the Chilean city of Talca in 1928, the Escuelas Concentradas ('Concentrated Schools') were constructed as part of a wider project to restore the community. Designed by the Sociedad Constructora de Establecimientos Educacionales, this site combined the Carlos Salinas Men's High School and President José Manuel Balmaceda y Fernández Girls' High School, and was intended to withstand the tests of time and symbolize the importance of education to Chilean culture.

Escuelas Concentradas de Talca, Maule, Chile

When another high-magnitude earthquake damaged the buildings in 2010, it was rendered unusable. There were plans to salvage it, but a huge fire shortly followed and decimated at least 50% of what was left after the earthquake. As of 2013, Escuelas Concentradas de Talca is now a heritage property and designated National Historic Monument.

Eaton Elementary School, Mississippi, USA

Eaton Elementary had its first building (pictured) completed in 1905, after the city of Hattiesburg experienced a surge in population. It is named after George Eaton, one of the town's first settlers, who donated the land on which the campus was developed.

The second phase was a mid-century expansion, built in a style that deliberately contrasted with the original Romanesque Revival architecture. The school served Hattiesburg’s children for around 80 years.

Eaton Elementary School, Mississippi, USA

By the late 1980s, Eaton’s operations had wound down and the building fell into disrepair. In 1991, it was recognized as a Mississippi Landmark and was inscribed to the National Register of Historic Places in 2008, protecting it for the future.

Repairs on the school’s roof were started in 2009, but were thwarted by structural issues resulting from rain damage, so a temporary roof was installed. The building is said to have been stabilized in 2015, but it seems that funding for further restoration work is needed.

Jameah Islameah School, East Sussex, England

Founded in 1992 by an Islamic charitable trust of the same name, the Jameah Islameah School was housed in this quintessential Victorian mansion, which originally functioned as an orphanage then as a ballet school. It provided an Islamic education to 11- to 16-year-old boys when it was swept up in an anti-terror investigation in 2006.

Liking this? Click the Like button above. And click the Follow button above for more great stories from loveEXPLORING

Jameah Islameah School, East Sussex, England

In September 2006, more than 100 police officers raided the school (alongside a number of London locations). It has been closed ever since, though no one was ever arrested, and the trust has always denied any wrongdoing. They still hope to be vindicated and ultimately plan to reopen the school, which has been damaged by vandals over the years.

Annie Lytle Elementary School, Florida, USA

Built in the 1910s and originally known as Public School Number Four, Annie Lytle Elementary School in Jacksonville was renamed in 1957 to honor an admired former principal. However, infrastructure changes were happening in the city at that time, and construction of a nearby highway interchange soon signaled the end of Annie Lytle as an active school – noise pollution drowned out classes on the second floor, and the school's location became harder to reach, resulting in its eventual closure in 1960.

Annie Lytle Elementary School, Florida, USA

Urban myths surrounding the campus have earned it the nickname 'the Devil’s School', with ghost stories ranging from psychotic janitors to deceased schoolchildren. After being officially condemned, damaged by a fire and threatened with demolition, the school was declared a historic landmark in 2000 and is now cared for by volunteers, who still hope to see it bought and repurposed one day. However, there are no such plans at the time of writing.

Schools in the Chernobyl Exclusion Zone, Pripyat, Ukraine

The world changed dramatically in April 1986 when a reactor at the Chernobyl nuclear power plant exploded, belching radioactive matter into the air in the worst nuclear disaster in history. Around 335,000 people were evacuated from the Ukrainian city of Pripyat and other nearby areas when a 19-mile (31km) wide exclusion zone was established around the blast site.

Pripyat has been abandoned ever since, leaving behind several empty kindergartens, primary schools and secondary schools.

Schools in the Chernobyl Exclusion Zone, Pripyat, Ukraine

Written reports and photographs from people visiting the lost schools of Pripyat document sorry scenes including forgotten toys, exercise books with the pages still open, rotting desks and child-sized gas masks strewn across classroom floors. Many of the buildings in Pripyat are too dangerous to access, so always listen to your licensed guide – you’ll need one to enter the exclusion zone as a tourist.

Now discover 95 places in the USA left to rot

Liked this? Click the Like button above. And click the Follow button above for more great stories from loveEXPLORING