Skip to content
Search AI Powered

Latest Stories

People Explain Which High School Conspiracy Actually Turned Out To Be True

People Explain Which High School Conspiracy Actually Turned Out To Be True
John Schnobrich on Unsplash

Teen dramas on television are popular because everything is high stakes.


Through the lens of an angsty teenager, unrequited love, a cheating boyfriend or girlfriend, academic pressures, and not making an athletic team, are all big problems that make for compelling viewing pleasure.

And through it all, gossip is the accelerant that fuels the drama, regardless of whether or not rumors are true.

Curious to hear about the real-life rumors that ran rampant in school halls, Redditor Le_Bayou_Cochon asked former students:

"What high school conspiracy turned out to be true at your school?"

The following recollections sound as though the scenarios were right out of something from Riverdale.

Mental High

"I attended a newly opened high school that apparently used to be a school for troubled kids. Someone told me there were padded rooms somewhere in the school so I skipped lunch with a friend one day to walk the halls and find them!"

"They did exist, but by next year they were renovated into offices and storage rooms. I thought that was pretty interesting and seriously wondered what went on there before it was turned into a 'normal' high school."

– E-macularius

​Ex-Staff Member

"It was rumored a staff member helped a student run away and slept with him. Unfortunately it was true."

"Unfortunately this same staff member after she was fired, had a graduated student at 19 ask to be her roommate. The then ex-staff member agreed and ended up getting into legal trouble."

– clinicskeleton

Something Sinister

"There was a girl freshman year who went missing. She ended up being found dead in the river. There were rumors that she was seen on a bridge with her boyfriend the day she went missing. Nothing was ever found and they assumed it was suicide/ an accident."

"Fast forward 25 years and the boyfriend murdered his best friend of several decades, set a fire to cover it up, and went on the run. Couple days later he killed a woman at a rest stop in the bathroom to steal her car. They reopened the case about the high school girlfriend. That rumor was correct all along. He will be in prison the rest of his life."

– pomegranatepants99

Forbidden romance seemed to be a recurring topic.

Racy Romance

"That one of the cheerleaders was dating one of the teachers (in his 40s). A year after graduation, they got married and had a baby. Still together 11 years later."

– Trailmix99

The Music Teacher

"There were rumors about a music teacher and a student, but they were both pretty dramatic people and did very little to dismiss the talk. So half the school wanted to believe it for the salacious thrill and half just waved it off as attention seeking and sh*t-talking."

"Teacher got canned without explanation. Most of us just figured it was budget-related. A math teacher filled in on his music/theater roles."

"Years later I randomly caught up with the student and she said the rumors were true, she freaked out and tried to end things to shake off the reputation, and eventually the teacher showed up trashed and naked on her family's front lawn, in the rain, yelling out for her."

"Like a really f'ked-up version of John Cusack from Say Anything but with less boombox and more drenched wang."

– Dangercakes13

These Actors Were Perfectly Cast In Their Roles | George Takei’s Oh Myyy

Sometimes an actor comes along that is able to reach the audience on a deeper level. The actor that immediately comes to mind is Robin Williams. Although it ...

Worse Than The Presumption

"We had a Student Teacher, so a reasonably attractive guy who was about 22 or 23. The rumor was that he was dating a girl in our class, a senior who was nearly 18. It turned out the rumor was wrong, he was dating her younger sister who was in 8th grade."

– Drulock

These troubled adults were former educators for our future leaders.

The Dealer

"For years before I got to my high school there was a rumor that the Admin Assistant (guy you went to when you got in trouble) was doing drugs, selling drugs, and confiscating from students without turning over to the police. Well about five years or so after I graduated he got busted a couple towns away for possession of cocaine with intent to distribute."

– TheBuschels

Conditional Promises

"There were stories about the music teacher having sex with some of his students, in exchange for solos, better grades, prestige, or jobs after graduation."

"They later turned out to be true. He was found guilty in 2018, and was given a six month prison sentence. He's barred from teaching, and lost his pension. The news his my dad rather hard, since they studied together at college, and were good friends. Dad had no idea."

– TedMeister88

The Trusted Role Model

"A good family friend of ours (knew him for over 10 years), went to tons of BBQ, painted our walls alot, did some housework, had tons of other mutual friends with my Dad and their work friends; ended up getting into drugs or something. He kidnapped a woman and murdered her."

"It was a huge deal in my hometown, and when they said they finally found the guy and the mugshot and name came up, we all were in shock and just couldn't believe it. We trusted him, I shook his hand a few times as a kid too, im sure my parents and everyone else would've trusted him with thier kids or family members or what have you."

"We still have no idea what led him down that path, but the mugshot looked brutal and its like his whole soul was drained from his face, it wasn't the same smiling happy face I remembered."

"Just goes to show how much you really know someone, and how close all humans are from a breakdown, anyone can change, It surprisingly doesn't take much."

– PandaCatGunner

The Inebriate

"That my high school history teacher was putting whiskey in the 2-liter bottle of Pepsi he carried around everyday. He was caught trying to buy liquor for some senior girls and it resulted in a car chase we all watched. The police had to pull out the spike strips to catch him."

– Tylerurby

Speculations and hunches were confirmed, and it didn't involve criminal activity for a change.

A Double Life

"My old math teacher was a WWF wrestler, i recognized him from my childhood days channel surfing and couldn't find anything about him on google, but i was so sure it was him I just asked. I was right lmao."

– TheTastySpoonicorn

Secret Underground

"That there were tunnels under the school that led to a hidden pool."

"Confirmed by my father who was a maintenance man for the school district. The tunnels were just utility tunnels, the pool is below the gym floor and was abandoned due to financial reasons."

– pondcypress

It's a wonder how students are able to focus on their studies when there's a lot of whispering going on about who did or said what.

Gossip and academic conspiracies can be distracting. But don't let those keep you from receiving your diplomas.

Stay focused, kids.

Want to "know" more?

Sign up for the Knowable newsletter here.

Never miss another big, odd, funny or heartbreaking moment again.

More from Trending/best-of-reddit

Screenshot of Dana Perino; Gavin Newsom
Fox News; Mario Tama/Getty Images

Fox News Host Ripped For Hypocrisy After Demanding Newsom 'Stop It' With Tweets Trolling Trump

Fox News host Dana Perino was widely mocked after she advised California Governor Gavin Newsom to stop trolling President Donald Trump with his recent tweets, prompting many to call out her hypocrisy for ignoring Trump's long history of attacking his own critics on social media.

Speaking on The Five, Perino said Newsom, who has used his official government accounts to mock Trump amid ongoing redistricting battles in California and Texas, needs "to stop it with the Twitter thing."

Keep ReadingShow less
Donald Trump
Andrew Harnik/Getty Images

Trump Slammed After Ranting That The Smithsonian Only Focuses On 'How Bad Slavery Was'

President Donald Trump was called out after he doubled down on his criticism of the Smithsonian museums in a rambling post on Truth Social on Tuesday, saying they've focused too much on "how bad slavery was" instead of promoting his view of American excellence.

A White House official who spoke to NBC News said Trump's call for a comprehensive review would extended to all museums, pledging that Trump will hold the Smithsonian "accountable" and "then go from there."

Keep ReadingShow less
The waist of a man in a Santa Claus costume.
person in red and white santa claus costume
Photo by Jesson Mata on Unsplash

People Divulge The 'Harmless' Lies Their Parents Told Them That Messed Them Up

It's highly unlikely that anyone's parents have never lied to them at least once in their lives.

Most of the time, however, they weren't lying to us out of malice, or to be deliberately deceptive.

Keep ReadingShow less
Nicole Collier
Mandel Ngan/AFP via Getty Images

Texas Republicans Lock Dem State Rep. In Capitol After She Refuses To Leave With Mandatory Police Escort

Democratic Texas state Representative Nicole Collier is making national headlines for refusing to cede to Republicans' demands that she sign a permission slip to be under escort by the Texas Department of Public Safety.

Collier was among dozens of Democrats who bolted from Texas earlier this month to block a Trump-backed redistricting plan designed to tilt the 2026 midterms toward Republicans. Some lawmakers returned Monday for a second special session, but GOP House Speaker Dustin Burrows ordered state troopers to escort them out of the chamber to stop another walkout.

Keep ReadingShow less
Gavin Newsom; JD Vance
Genaro Molina/Los Angeles Times via Getty Images; Brandon Bell/Getty Images

Newsom trolls Vance over Zelenskyy

In the most sincere form of political flattery, Governor Gavin Newsom has bestowed Vice President JD Vance a new nickname as part of his ongoing mission to out-troll President Donald Trump and friends on social media.

It all went down last Saturday when Newsom’s office responded to gerrymandering efforts by Republicans in states like Texas and Indiana to gain more congressional seats for the 2026 midterms.

Keep ReadingShow less