Jaime is a bright, ambitious high school senior with dreams of attending college. On her teacher Ms. Cohen’s last day before relocating to another city, Jaime brings her a farewell gift. Cohen praises Jaime’s potential and assures her that with her academic abilities, she’s bound for a scholarship. Cohen also mentions her replacement, a teacher named Molly, who comes highly recommended from her previous school.
At home, Jaime talks to her parents about college, only to be disheartened when they admit they can’t afford to help financially. Her father, Steven, was recently laid off. Despite the setback, Jaime remains determined. She seeks comfort in her boyfriend, Dany, a charming and athletic student whose wealthy parents are paying his way into a prestigious college. Their relationship hits tension when Dany’s mother subtly warns him to focus on academics and slow things down with Jaime.
Soon after, the new teacher, Molly, arrives. Beautiful and charismatic, she immediately takes an interest in Dany and asks him to stay after class, offering to tutor him privately so he can stay on the baseball team. During their sessions, she subtly pries into his relationship with Jaime and encourages him to reach out to her anytime—exchanging phone numbers under the guise of academic help.
Jaime becomes alarmed when Molly gives her an unusually low grade on an important writing paper. When given a chance to revise it, Jaime is offered very limited time—putting her college hopes at risk. Dany tries to reassure her, but when he dismisses her concerns about his father’s role in her dad’s firing, it causes a rift between them.
Meanwhile, Dany begins to spend more time with Molly, who continues to blur professional boundaries. After getting him drunk, she lures him to her house with a fake car breakdown, seduces him, and crosses a line that cannot be uncrossed. Jaime, suspicious of his behavior, eventually sees the two together and realizes the betrayal. The heartbreak deepens when she continues to receive unfairly low grades from Molly.
Despite the personal chaos, Molly appears to be unraveling mentally. She’s haunted by the voice of her cruel foster mother and begins showing signs of deeper instability. When Dany finally confronts her, saying their relationship is over, Molly snaps. In a fit of rage, she runs him over with her car, disposes of the body in a park, and then attempts to frame Jaime by smearing Dany’s blood on her car.
When Dany’s body is discovered, police find blood evidence on Jaime’s car and arrest her. But Jaime refuses to stay silent. She tells the authorities about Molly’s inappropriate relationship with Dany and her own suspicions about the teacher’s involvement in his death. Molly, ever the manipulator, has prepared an alibi and claims Jaime is retaliating over bad grades.
With limited evidence tying Molly to the crime and digital records erased or untraceable, Jaime takes matters into her own hands. Defying house arrest, she confronts Molly at home and taunts her into confessing. Pushed over the edge, Molly grabs a knife and admits to the murder—just as a detective storms in, alerted by Jaime’s tracking device.
Molly is arrested and finally confesses. Justice is served.
In the aftermath, Jaime receives her college acceptance letter. Though overjoyed, she mourns the loss of Dany and the nightmare she endured. “Dirty Teacher” ends on a bittersweet note, a chilling reminder of how obsession can destroy lives—and how courage, even from a teenager, can bring the truth to light.
