Top 7 Back To School Movies To Watch (Or Rewatch!)

For most of us students, school’s starting back up in the next month or so. For me, I go back in just 4 weeks! With everything that’s going on right now, I won’t even be attending school in real life- I’m going back virtually. Considering this was supposed to be my senior year, I’m pretty bummed about the fact that I won’t have the senior year I’ve been looking forward to forever.

Despite this, though, I’ve been catching up on some back to school and coming-of-age movies to feel like I’m experiencing the whole student life! Even if I don’t get a typical school year, I get to live vicariously through some of my favorite characters! Here are 7 back to school movies to watch before the new academic year starts!

Clueless

Clueless is one of my absolute favorite classics! The main character Cher, played by Alicia Silverstone, is a wealthy and social high school student. Her position as the most popular girl in school is threatened when she gives new girl Tai (Brittany Murphy) a makeover and Tai rises in popularity. Clueless is the perfect back to school movie since it features both the academic and social aspects of high school. It also has great character development. Cher’s perspective on herself gradually changes and she grows as a person, which is so great to see! This classic 1995 film should definitely be on the top of your list of back to school movies to watch!

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Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone

We all wanted to go to the legendary Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry at some point in our lives- maybe we still do! Hogwarts is a magical school- both literally and figuratively- with its shifting staircases and talking paintings. Hogwarts encompasses all that students could ever want in a school- fun and interesting classes, a tight-knit group of friends, good-natured competition. The Sorcerer’s Stone is a great movie to pump yourself up for a new school year or simply to entertain yourself with Harry, Ron, and Hermione’s antics!

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Mean Girls

Another high school classic! Mean Girls is all about the stereotypical high school cliques. Cady Heron (Lindsay Lohan) is a homeschooled student who is not at all prepared for what she encounters in high school. She makes her way into the popular girls clique, getting wrapped up in all the drama that comes with it. Being in this clique makes her lose herself and everything that she was aiming for. Eventually, she’s able to “find” herself again, causing even more drama in the process. Mean Girls is one of those movies that I, and many others I’m sure, always come back to. It’s realistic while also being entertaining and just an all around fantastic movie.

Dead Poets Society

Dead Poets Society takes place at an elite all-boys boarding school. It follows a nontraditional English teacher, John Keating, as he encourages and inspires his students using poetry. The students break out of the confines of their school and parents and pursue their true passions. It’s a beautiful, tragic story dealing with loss. Definitely a must-watch before we return to school.

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Legally Blonde

If you’re heading off to law school, then this is the movie for you! Elle Woods, played by Reese Witherspoon, is our favorite sorority girl-turned-Harvard-lawyer. Originally a sorority girl at a fictional California university, Elle applies to Harvard Law in an attempt to get her boyfriend back. Along the way, she discovers a talent for law and proves herself as a capable lawyer, even if her methods are a little… untraditional. This is an entertaining and inspiring movie perfect for any student, not just those studying law!

High School Musical

So I think we can all agree that Sharpay was robbed of her dreams to star in the spring musical, right? Regardless, High School Musical is a classic movie that all of us know and love. It’s the perfect feel-good movie to watch before heading off to school this fall! HSM 3 is also a must-watch for those about to enter their freshman year of college!

The Perks of Being a Wallflower

This movie is so adorable and so sad at the same time. The cast is amazing and the story is even more incredible. It follows Charlie (Logan Lerman), a shy freshman who has endured through more than he should have. He meets two carefree seniors who (Emma Watson and Ezra Miller) befriend him and show him the joys of friendships, high school, and life in general. It’s a really beautiful story with themes of friendship, survival, and finding oneself.

Which of these movies is your go-to when preparing yourself for a new school year? Let us know in the comments!