After days of binge-watching teen dramas like 13 Reasons Why, The Society, Never Have I Ever, and Riverdale, you’re probably plunged into memories of your own high school experiences. Long days punctuated by the ringing of the bell. The politics of eye contact in the halls. Pimples on prom night. Scheming to sneak away from parents’ rules. Long afternoons with so much homework you doubt the toil will ever cease.
During the high school years, emotions abound, drama cuts deep, and everything runs amuck. Some films capture the darkness that can gather when you put enough kids in a confined space. Others celebrate the edge of adulthood with humor, poignancy, and grace. And yet others do so with fart jokes, which are alright, too.
It’s safe to say most people don’t want to go back to high school. But by watching these movies set in twilight moments of childhood and young adulthood, you’ll remember a more eager iteration of yourself. Someone for whom the world was yet untasted and untrodden.
Let’s go back to the days when playing hooky was the ultimate victory.
Clueless (1995)
Twenty-five years after its initial release, Clueless is still as relevant as ever. Sure, Cher Horowitz’s (Alicia Silverstone) giant cell phone is an ancient relic, but the inner turmoil of being a teenage girl? Timeless. Not to mention that Dionne’s (Stacey Dash) outfits are totally having a comeback.
Bring It On (2000)
If this comedy about feuding cheerleaders taught us anything, it’s that you will always get caught for stealing. And, also: “Brr! It’s cold in here. There must be some Toros in the atmosphere!”
Boyz n the Hood (1991)
A classic American coming-of-age drama, Boyz n the Hood (starring Cuba Gooding Jr., Nia Long, and Ice Cube in some of their first roles), was monumental for showing a different (i.e.: less white) high school experience than what viewers had previously and predominantly seen on-screen up to this point. ICYMI, the movie is about Tre Styles (Gooding Jr.), a senior in high school growing up in Los Angeles’s Crenshaw neighborhood. The film chronicles the experience of Tre and his friends, as they grow up surrounded by gang violence, balancing a desire to attend college and leave their neighborhood while also remaining loyal to their friends and the community around them.
Better Luck Tomorrow (2002)
This is definitely unlike any other high school coming-of-age film on the list. Better Luck Tomorrow follows a group of Asian American overachievers who take part in some pretty standard high schooler activities: taking tests, trying to impress their crushes, engaging in some petty crime on the side, oh… and murder. The Justin Lin-directed film is a cult fave in the Asian American community for showing another side of high school beyond your typical jocks-and-geeks narrative and is also considered to be the origin story of Han of the Fast & Furious franchise.
10 Things I Hate About You (1999)
Would this even be a true list of HS-based films if we didn’t include this Julia Stiles and Heath Ledger essential? You don’t need an out-of-this-world SAT score to answer that, because the answer is no. This late ’90s classic — a modern day re-telling of Shakespeare’s Taming of the Shrew — is known for many things, chief among them being Stiles’ infamous poetry reading scene (the tears weren’t scripted!).
Save The Last Dance (2001)
A lot has been said about this 2001 classic (another great Julia Stiles performance) since it was first released. Specifically, a lot of people on the internet have had some serious fun meme-ing Stiles’ dancing in the movie — which was meant to be giving Juilliard excellence but in hindsight is giving cringe. But regardless of what we may think about the expertise of the dancing over 20 years after its release, what remains a fact is that the movie — about a white suburban ballet dancer who moves to Chicago and falls in love with Derek, a teen from the city’s South Side with dreams of becoming a doctor — is a must-watch.
Bend It Like Beckham (2002)
Before there was Bridgerton, Never Have I Ever, and The Mindy Project, there was Bend It Like Beckham. The film follows Indo-Brit teen Jess Bhamra as she tries to balance living between two cultures; trying to please her parents while also pursuing her dreams of playing professional soccer.
The Edge of Seventeen (2016)
Growing up is hard. And being 17, with an older brother you despise and everyone loves, feelings of social anxiety, a mom who doesn’t understand you, and a best friend who’s drifting away, is even tougher. Such is the predicament high school student Nadine (Hailee Steinfeld) finds herself in, after her BFF and her brother start dating, leaving her alone to navigate being on the edge of adulthood.
Mean Girls (2004)
When Cady (Lindsay Lohan) moves to the suburbs of Illinois after years living in Africa, she and her new misfit friends hatch a devious plan. Cady will infiltrate the Plastics, the clique of mean girls who run the school.
From the Burn Book to Glen Coco, Mean Girls is still part of our modern-day lexicon, over 10 years after its release. Though Regina told Gretchen to “quit trying to make fetch happen,” we still use “fetch” to this day. Guess Gretchen won, after all.
To All The Boys I’ve Loved Before (2018)
OK, so this franchise isn’t necessarily about being in high school, but the leads Lara Jean (Lana Condor) and Peter Kavinsky (Noah Centineo), are technically in high school. Based off the young adult novels by author Jenny Han, the first movie finds Lara Jean — a hopeless romantic — experiencing one of her high school and teen firsts, her first romantic relationship. The catch? Her new BF, the hunky jock Peter Kavinsky, isn’t real. In fact, the unlikely pair have struck a deal to fake date in order to make Peter’s ex jealous. As can be imagined, there are many forlorn looks, lots of whispers in the hallways, and one pretty monumental school trip. (Also, this hot tub scene).
Real Women Have Curves (2002)
Anything starring America Ferrera is bound to be a must-watch, and this early 2000s movie is no exception. Like Boyz n the Hood, Real Women Have Curves was unique for the time due to its spotlight on an often overlooked community. Ana García (Ferrera) is an 18-year-old Latinx student attending high school in Beverly Hills. Coming from a tough economic situation, Ana is unable to attend college after graduation, as she plans to stay in Los Angeles and help run her family’s textile business. But, she dreams of more.
Heathers (1988)
Veronica (Winona Ryder) may be part of her high school’s most popular clique, but that doesn’t mean she actually likes the mean girls. It’s only after meeting her boyfriend J.D. (Christian Slater) that Veronica considers ridding herself of their influence. After they poison the queen bee Heather (Kim Walker), J.D. embarks on a string of murders.
The Spectacular Now (2013)
You already know how the story of The Spectacular Now goes, because you’ve seen something like it before: a charming senior falls in love with a good girl. But the story of Sutter Keely (Miles Teller) and Aimee Finecky (Shailene Woodley) brings an original, genuine perspective to the exhilaration and confusion of first love. Though we might not ever fall in love like we were 17 again, at least we can watch young passion bloom on screen.
Juno (2007)
High school junior Juno MacGaff is bright, quirky, and, after a brief tryst with her twerp of a track runner friend, pregnant. Pragmatic as ever, Juno finds the family who will adopt her child in the PennySaver personals. But complications in the adoption process arise when the family’s father begins to make their relationship a bit too personal.
Lady Bird (2017)
A film that speaks to anyone desperate to get out of their hometown in search of greatness, this film from director Greta Gerwig follows Lady Bird (played by a sensational Saoirse Ronan), as she navigates the final year of high school and launching into the real world, and adulthood. This is also the movie that formally introduced the world to the wonder that is Timothée Chalamet, so a must-watch all around.
Easy A (2010)
Another adaptation of a classic book, this 2010 movie (starring Emma Stone, a hunky Penn Badgley and even hunkier Stanley Tucci), follows Stone’s Olive, a high school student who gains an unfair reputation after lying about losing her virginity. (Essentially, a rumor spreads that she’s promiscuous, and instead of being shamed by it, Olive leans in, pretending to sleep with guys at her school for money… and Red Lobster gift cards). It’s a comedy, but at its heart the movie is also about being true to yourself.
The First Time (2012)
Starring the internet’s current boyfriend, Dylan O’Brien, The First Time chronicles one weekend, during which O’Brien’s Dave —a high school senior who’s in love with his longtime friend Jane — meets junior Aubrey (Britt Robertson) at a party. The pair, both contemplating their romantic prospects, have an instant connection, and viewers get to watch as they fall in love for the first time.
Love, Simon (2018)
Another film based off a book, Love, Simon was pretty monumental for its time for being one of the first movies about a high school student that accurately and lovingly depicted the struggle many people experience when coming out.
Pariah (2011)
Much of the actual plot of Pariah might not take place in a high school (in fact, school is barely mentioned throughout the film), but that doesn’t make it any less of an important viewing on the high school, coming-of-age experience. The movie is about 17-year-old Alike (Adepero Oduye), as she comes to terms with and embraces her identity and sexuality.
The Breakfast Club (1985)
We might as well call this movie, about five students who band together against a power hungry-principal during an all-day detention, a fable, or a myth, or a fantasy. That’s because as anyone who survived public high school knows, the odds of such triumphant collaboration between popular girls, nerdy guys, and bad boys are slim. But, for its portrayal of kids crossing clique borders and coming together, albeit briefly, The Breakfast Club is (rightly) the most iconic high school movie of all time.
We won’t forget about them.
Ferris Bueller’s Day Off (1986)
Arrogantly charming in the way only high school seniors can be, Ferris Bueller is determined to play hooky, no matter what. In this endlessly entertaining film, Ferris and his friends have the blazing adventure we all dreamed of while daydreaming in math class. Who wouldn’t take marching in a parade over school, any day?
An Education (2009)
It’s 1960s London, and after Jenny Mellor (Carey Mulligan) meets a dashing older gent (Peter Sarsgaard), she thinks her life is about to get far more interesting. And so the romance between a high school senior and a 35-year-old smooth operator with a vintage car begins. In this poignant coming-of-age film, Jenny learns that the “interesting” adult world isn’t necessarily better than the life she had before.
With Carey Mulligan and Peter Sarsgaard at their A-Game, you might even root for their pairing, despite your higher mind’s warning signals.
The Class (2006)
A lot can happen over the course of a yearlong literature class. In this gritty French drama, Marin (François Bégaudeau) experiences real highs and lows with his class of troubled students from a tough Parisian neighborhood. From ethnic tension to teen violence, Marin has more to negotiate than French literature in his classroom. And if the film feels like a documentary, that’s because The Class is based on Bégaudeau’s true teaching experiences.
Sing Street (2016)
When you’re a sensitive teenager in the ’80s in Dublin and you’ve just started a terrible new school, what other option do you have but to assemble a band and fight against the power? From the director of Once comes this coming-of-age story, which is equal parts music and heart.
Like what you see? How about some more R29 goodness, right here?
