The Truth Behind the Schools in ‘Forever’: Are Brookwood, St. Maria’s Academy, and Camden Hall Based on Real Places?
Forever(NETFLIX) is the story of Justin and Keisha, two graduating high school seniors who deal with the complexities of love, family, and the DNA that has come to define them during the most exhilarating and anxious time of their lives.
Their stories unfold at Brookwood, St. Maria’s Academy, and Camden Hall. As real as these institutions seem, many viewers wonder if they are real places. This article examines the reality-based influences, fictionalized elements, and broader cultural themes behind these schools.
But by examining how the show employs each location to comment on race, class, and personal development, we also see how Forever merges fact and fiction to tell an original and universal story. We also immerse ourselves in the real-life schools with the same names and consider how the settings of these fictional environments reflect the challenges of modern teenagers.
Brookwood, St. Maria’s, and Camden Hall Are Imaginary Schools in ‘Forever’
Although the schools are fake, the show Forever creates its world using believable emotional arcs and everyday struggles. Brookwood, St. Maria’s Academy, and Camden Hall are not actual schools in California.
Even if names like Brookwood and St. Mary’s exist in other states, these schools were created specifically for narrative reasons. There is an honest St. Mary’s Academy in Inglewood, CA, but the look, uniforms, and vibe do not resemble Keisha’s on-screen school.
Also, Brookwood High Schools exist in states like Georgia and Massachusetts, but not California. Camden Hall is not a school name. These fictional worlds enable authors to develop environments that parallel real-world social problems while having creative freedom.
Brookwood Investigates Race and Code-Switching at Predominantly White Schools
Brookwood is an essential locale for discussions about the intersectionality of race and identity in schools. For Keisha, who goes to a primarily white school, living is a matter of negotiating cultural expectations that do not reflect her truth.
This is code-switching—changing language or behavior to fit in. According to a 2019 study, 85 percent of Black adults say they must code-switch at least occasionally, particularly in professional and academic settings. In Forever, Brookwood mirrors this pressure.
Keisha is intelligent, excellent, and honest, but she has to be something she’s not at school, even if that means being unable to be herself. This portrayal reflects actual battles being fought by students of color in racially homogeneous schools, and also provides viewers with a glimpse of invisible emotional labor. The series strongly comments on identity and belonging by situating Keisha in that environment.
St. Maria’s Academy Illuminates Financial Stress in Private School System
St. Maria’s Academy is another aspect of the high school experience: private education. The school is pictured as regimented, disciplined, and elite. Fictional though it is, it’s in the mold of schools such as St. Mary’s Academy in Inglewood, Calif. Keisha eventually graduates from St. Mary’s, a school that enables her scholastic prospects but puts just as much stress on her family.
Tuition for private school, uniforms, and expectations can be stressful for students and parents. In Forever, this financial stressor is part of Keisha’s coming of age with values, identity, and aspiration. The school’s architecture is a paragon of success in education, but unfortunately, it has visible class differences.
This relationship feels genuine to many viewers who have been privately educated or faced economic hardships. The contrast between Brookwood and St. Maria’s deepens Keisha’s journey of understanding, illustrating how environment shapes self-perception and resilience.
At Camden Hall, College Dreams Are Shaped by Athletics
Justin’s sports dreams unfold against the backdrop of Camden Hall. He is finding a way up and out, using his high school sports talent to chart a path to college. This is a common theme among student athletes, whose performance on the field can affect scholarship offers and college applications.
*The concentration on sports at Camden Hall makes Justin’s existence convincing. It’s a reminder that sports are more than games — they’re sometimes the only shot at a better life. For many students, particularly those from working-class families, sports open doors that academics alone won’t.
The pressure and the hope related to high school sports can be seen in Justin’s discipline, hard work, and determination at Camden Hall. Even though Camden Hall may be made up, its role in the story reflects what many youth sports represent regarding the intersection of opportunity and access to upward mobility.
Why ‘Forever’ Picked Fictional Schools to Have a Real Impact
Designing made-up schools helps Forever merge real-world issues with narrative flexibility. None of the schools — Brookwood, St. Maria’s, or Camden Hall — are California schools, but they each represent different social hurdles.
Brookwood reflects the racial dynamics in public education, St. Maria’s the gravity of private school culture, and Camden Hall sports as a pathway to opportunity. Designing their version of these schools, the show sidesteps legal trouble while getting some barbed commentary about race, class, and youthful identity.
It also allows characters like Keisha and Justin to develop in a space near their arcs. The effect is a truthful story, even if the settings are unreal. This trick—fictional realism—is standard in teen dramas. It is also helpful in striking a balance between drama and recognizability, making the show something you could put your finger on while remaining creative.
FAQs
Brookwood, St. Maria’s Academy, Camden Hall: Are these actual schools?
No, none of the three schools in Forever are real or in California.
Is St. Maria’s modeled on St. Mary’s Academy in Inglewood?
Perhaps, though the uniforms and details about the school indicate that it may just be loosely based on that actual school.
What does the school, Brookwood, symbolise in the show?
Brookwood epitomizes the challenge of being a minority student at a predominantly Caucasian institution.
Is Camden Hall a legitimate sports school?
Camden Hall is not real, but it represents the reality that student-athletes face in pursuit of their college dreams.
Why did the show fake the schools?
You can skirt around and tell your own story to create a plausible world and avoid copyright problems.
Final Words
Forever may include fictional high schools, but the emotions, difficulties, and issues are too real. Through Brookwood and St. Maria’s Academy and Camden Hall, the show delves into race, class, and ambition in a way that resonates with today’s teens.
While these schools don’t appear on a map, they can have a long-lasting impact. Through combining elements of fiction with the truths that resonate with life, Forever delivers a story that becomes just as personal and explosive for the audience.
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