List of haunted schools in El Paso part 1

   By Aaron Perez

Published 3/10/2025

    El Paso is no stranger to hauntings, as I have documented in previous blogs. It does have many hauntings, particularly schools with its most famous being El Paso High School. There are others on the list that are notable, but it would take research and more blogs to document each and every one of them. I will begin to do that by listing some of the schools that have things bumping in the night. 

5. Loretto Academy-1300 Hardaway St, El Paso, TX 79903

A Catholic school located in the central part of El Paso, a ghost of a nun is said to haunt the tower of the school, forever pacing the tower of the school she dedicated much of her life to. This spirit was said to have shamed herself in life by breaking her vow of celibacy and becoming pregnant. She then made the terrible decision of ending her life, and now waits for atonement of her sins. Others say it was a totally different woman from the nun, most likely a student who killed herself by jumping off the building to not bring shame to the school. Another specter of a nun can also be seen at late hours of night in a balcony that has not been accessed for years. This nun can be seen walking to a certain location before disappearing into thin air.

4. Crockett Elementary-3200 Wheeling Ave, El Paso, TX 79930

Built in the 1920's this building is rumored to have been originally a hospital for veterans before being converted into an elementary school. Many schools in the area served as makeshift hospitals and had many people die in them during both World Wars, since the conflicts were the most devastating in history. Their basements also served as morgues for keeping the bodies of the deceased until they were transferred to their final resting place and Crockett Elementary was no different. This school had so many people die from wounds that a ghost should be expected to still roam this campus. Its most famous haunting is that of a wounded soldier walking around the old building. The ghost is described to roam the halls with ghastly injuries and an amputation. One of the first witnesses to this spirit was a child who was a student at the time and he has been spotted numerous times since.

3. Burges High School-7800 Edgemere Blvd, El Paso, TX 79925

Schools are no strangers to tragedies, as many happen across the world, some being more tragic than others. In a tragic suicide, a girl in the 1980's is said to have killed herself in one of the classrooms by pulling a gun and shooting herself in the head. Nowadays it is said that her spirit haunts the school, being seen walking alone in the hallways at night. She also has been observed sitting in one of the desks of the same classroom where she ended her life.

2. Coronado High School-100 Champions Pl, El Paso, TX 79912

In a twist of events, this high school's haunting does not stem from someone dying inside the property nor it being built on a graveyard. The ghost that haunts, or in better terms, used to haunt the school was rather invited in through the theater's instructors purchasing a silver gray curtain. After this theater curtain was brought in, there were inexplicable ghost shadows starting to appear as well as a man in a Shakespeare suit. The spirit is no longer there, as it may have attached itself to the original teacher who brought in the curtain and is no longer seen. In a staircase on the third floor, it is said that one has the feeling of being observed when no one is there.

Aoy Elementary-901 S Campbell St, El Paso, TX 79901

This campus in Segundo Barrio is said to be haunted by an old spirit, who may still roam the school after its recent remodeling. Aoy Elementary, like many other schools, have had to modernize to fit with the times and undergo many repairs. This does not mean that the spirit who once inhabited the school would move on, and they may move into the new and better building. Since Aoy Elementary is old, it has the notoriety of having its own famous specter that roams its halls. The spirit is said to be that of an African American woman who worked as a nurse and died in the old school's gym area. Her ghost is said to roam the halls of the old building and even had been reported helping and tending to injured children. Her presence can also be identified by unexplained voices as well as objects moving around. Since this school was remodeled, maybe she decided she was still needed and moved in?

Sources:

Hudnall, Ken, and Connie Wang. Spirits of the Border: The History and Mystery of El Paso Del Norte. Omega Press, 2003.