6 Underfunded Schools That Will Eventually Be Captivating Urban Decay Landscapes

Sometime in the near future, these will give you goosebumps.

1. Westmont High School—Detroit, MI

Once considered one of the best public schools in Detroit, Westmont High School is already well on its way to becoming a hauntingly beautiful symbol of urban decay. Now critically underfunded, this soon-to-be-condemned building will strike awe into squatters and photographers alike, with its crumbling walls and graffiti-covered exteriors!

2. Uptown Technical Institute—Oakland, CA

You can already imagine how ghostly Uptown’s outdated, 1950s architecture will look once it is abandoned and finally allowed to succumb to the elements. Already deteriorating in many places, the school district doesn’t have the funds to fix it, so there are really only a few years until it completely collapses and becomes a stunning relic of the not-so-distant past.

3. McAllister Elementary—Chicago, IL

Let’s face it: The current principal of McAllister has zero money right now. When they’re finally forced to board up the school, they’re not going to take the desks out of classrooms, or clean whatever lessons were left written on the chalkboard. No way! It’s going to be left exactly as is, with its empty, paper-strewn halls and partially decorated lockers still frozen in time like a modern, Midwestern Chernobyl. And it’ll leave you speechless!

4. South Jackson High—Inwood, WV

This neglected school was already on its last legs before politicians in Charleston began slashing education budgets, so grab your camera and your wonder because its empty football field will soon be one of the most hauntingly beautiful places in the area. One look at it, and you’ll almost certainly hear the faint, ghostly cheers of students past.

5. Castilleja Middle School—El Paso, TX

In three to four years’ time, this border-town school will be nicknamed “the ghost house” by locals. In fact, the entire surrounding neighborhood will also be condemned at that point, making for a truly eerie afternoon if you’ve got a car and a photography blog.

6. San Mateo High—Los Angeles, CA

Okay, buckle up, because this place has it all—limited funding, overcrowded classrooms, a low graduation rate—really, you can’t get much better than that! Because what’s the only thing better than an underfunded public school? A haunting, post-apocalyptic wasteland that you and your friends can visit for free. We promise you won’t want to miss it, and thankfully you won’t have to wait long.