The Perfect School

"The Perfect School" is the seventh short story in the book Even More Tales to Give You Goosebumps.

Plot
Brian O'Connor can never quite please his parents. When Brian's parents come across an advertisement for "The Perfect Boarding School", they quickly send him away, thinking it could do him some good. When Brian gets on the train, he befriends a boy named C.J., who has also been sent to the Perfect School. When he is dropped off, Brian encounters the school's "graduates": robot-like children dressed in gray uniforms. The new students meet the school's director, who says the kids will each be assigned a number that replaces their name. Even stranger, staff members must be referred to as Guardians.

Brian soon becomes a troublemaker in the eyes of the Guardians, and they tell him he will need to move on to a more advanced course. Brian is dragged to "The Pattern Room" and quickly realizes something strange is going on. He is weighed, and his proportions are measured. Brian attempts to call his parents, but he is stopped by the headmaster. Later, while he's in his room, Brian hears students crying out for help through a vent. They tell Brian the school replaces students with robotic lookalikes. Brian tries to escape, but he is stopped by C.J., who's revealed to work with the Guardians.

Brian is sent home to his parents, seemingly reformed. However, he is the real Brian; he was able to trap C.J. and the fake Brian in the cells below. He plans to go back to the school and save the other children, but — for now — he must keep up his role.

Television adaptation
"Perfect School" was adapted into a two-part episode of the Goosebumps TV series. It is the eleventh and twelfth episode of season three, and the fifty-fifth and fifty-sixth episode overall.

Trivia

 * Plot elements from this story — such as a strict boarding school with unusual methods for reforming students — were revisited in the fortieth Give Yourself Goosebumps book, Zombie School.
 * This story references Snickers.
 * This story appears to be based on The Stepford Wives, which follows a similar plot.