10 fictional high school locations via Google Earth

By Kevin Askeland Jun 11, 2020, 12:00pm

Take a tour of some memorable locations from these cinematic treasures.

Video: 10 fictional high school movie locations via Google Earth
These campuses are immortalized from their classic films.

Rydell, Shermer, Ridgemont and Hill Valley are all famous schools from some of the most-loved movies of all-time. However, none actually exist.

All of the high schools in films like "Grease," "Ferris Bueller's Day Off" and "Back to the Future" are fictional, but they had to be filmed somewhere. MaxPreps' Google Earth series takes a look at some of the locations of some of the most famous fictional high schools.
"Grease" — Rydell High School
Danny, Sandy, Frenchy, Rizzo and Kenickie all went to school at Rydell High School in the movie Grease. Many of the school scenes were actually shot at Venice (Los Angeles).
Quoteable: "Why, this car is auto-matic. It’s system-matic. Its hyyyyydro-matic. Why, it’s greased lightning!"
"Fast Times at Ridgemont High" — Ridgemont High School
Stacy Hamilton, older brother Brad, Mike Damone and of course Jeff Spicoli were all students at fictional Ridgemont High, which was filmed at Van Nuys (Calif.).
Quoteable: "Awesome! Totally Awesome!"
"Ferris Bueller's Day Off" — Shermer High School
Ferris, Cameron and Sloan spend most of the day skipping school at fictional Shermer High School (which is also the name of the school the Breakfast Club attends). The outside scenes were shot at Glenbrook North (Northbrook, Ill.).
Quoteable: "Bueller? Bueller? Bueller?"
"Sixteen Candles" Shermer High School
Another member of the John Hughes group of teenage films, Sixteen Candles centers around Samantha's forgotten 16th birthday and her interactions with "Farmer" Ted and secret crush Jake at Shermer High School (yes, the same fictional Shermer High in Ferris Bueller and Breakfast Club). Scenes were filmed at Niles East (Ill.) (now closed).
Quoteable: "This information cannot leave this room. Okay? It would devastate my reputation as a dude."
"Mean Girls" — North Shore High School
Cady, Regina and the rest of the Plastics all attended North Shore High School, which was filmed in several locations including Toronto and Montclair (N.J.).
Quoteable: "On Wednesdays, we wear pink."
"Dead Poet's Society" — St. Andrew's School
The students in Mr. Keating's English class learn about Walt Whitman and poetry at Welton Academy. The movie was actually shot at St. Andrew's (Middletown, Del.).
Quoteable: "Carpe diem. Seize the day, boys. Make your lives extraordinary."
"Superbad" — Clark Secondary School
Seth, Evan and McLovin work together to plan a big party in the final days of the school year at Clark Secondary School. The exterior scenes were shot at El Segundo (Calif.).
Quoteable: "Wait… You changed your name to McLovin?!"
"Freaks and Geeks" — McKinley High School
Before they hit it big, Seth Rogen, James Franco and Jason Segel were all attending McKinley High School as members of either the Freaks or the Geeks. The TV series was filmed at Hart (Newhall, Calif.), north of Los Angeles.
Quoteable: "It's 1980 and this is what high school was like for the rest of us."
"Heathers" — Westerburg High School
Westerburg High School was home to Veronica, J.D. and the Heathers. Most of the film was shot at Verdugo Hills (Tujunga, Calif.).
Quoteable: "Greetings and salutations... you a Heather?"
"Back to the Future" Hill Valley High School
When Marty McFly headed back to 1955 in the DeLorean, he went to the Enchantment Under the Sea Dance with his mother at Hill Valley High School. The movie was shot at Whittier (Calif.).
Quoteable: "Roads? Where we're going, we don't need roads."