Now Enrolling: 15 Fictional High Schools We’re Yearning to Attend
ranked by how much I wanted to attend them as a teen, or not
By Olivia Scherzer
Edited by Emilee Saigh
I may not be nostalgic for my high school years, but I am nostalgic for the high schools I grew up watching on my television screen. Almost every weeknight, I sat on the edge of my family room’s couch to watch Pretty Little Liars, Glee, and numerous Disney Channel shows and movies. After finishing my homework assignments, I spent time with my favorite characters as they figured out how to balance their own lives with the various challenges the show would pose that week. Some of the plots? Outlandish and otherworldly. Others? I found myself envying the characters almost to the point of begging my mom to enroll me in a high school that was not at all real.
I yearned to enroll at East High in Alberqueue, New Mexico and be a Wildcat. I begged to attend high school on a cruise ship with the Sprouse twins, only to remember I hate being on boats. I even wanted to be a superhero so I could meet Nicholas Braun.
It may seem silly thinking back on how I wanted to attend these fictional high schools, but when I watched them, they were what I envisioned high school to be. I looked to these shows to set the foundation for my expectations and know what I was going to experience. Imagine my surprise when my high school would turn out to be nothing like one for superheroes and villains or a performing arts school in Hollywood or a high school where the popular blonde girl disappeared for years but mysteriously came back like nothing was wrong. No, my high school experience wasn’t like that at all, and it probably wasn’t for you, either. And yet, we still watched these shows and were entertained, and we maybe even wished to attend some of them (and others, not so much).
Here are 15 fictional high schools ranked by how much I wanted to attend them as a teen. And some I didn’t really want to attend at all, actually.
15. Rosewood High (Pretty Little Liars)
Rosewood isn't the shiny and perfect neighborhood for upper-middle-class families it claims to be. Feuding families, teenagers getting murdered, and grown men who develop a special interest in underage girls. I’m going to sit this one out.
14. Riverdale High (Riverdale)
Honestly I don’t even know why I’m including this on the list. The only reasons are 1. I’d want to be a part of that core friend group (Betty, Veronica, Archie, Jughead), and 2. The characters would occasionally break out into song and dance. There was always something going on in town; one of the neighbors disappearing, a mysterious hooded figure terrorizing the town, or a supernatural threat taking over. Attending this high school might not be the dream.
13. Degrassi Community School (Degrassi)
I’m shocked I ranked this higher than Rosewood High, but honestly, I’d rather attend Degrassi with everything that happened because of the friend groups. To me, besides the events that occurred, the high school dynamics were somewhat real and believable. The social hierarchies, school pressures, and extracurriculars determining which clique you belonged in felt the most true-to-life. I’m not sure what clique I would’ve been in, but it would’ve likely been the choir kids or brainiacs. Which clique do you think you’d be in?
11. North Shore High School (Mean Girls)
This is only a few steps above Rosewood High. Their vibes are similar, but North Shore without murder. The mean girls are the same, though, they just wear different colors. As long as I actively avoid Regina George and her minions during the school day, I’d be safe here. See also: ducking behind lockers and hiding in trash cans while the queen bee struts down her hallway.
10. Constance Billard St. Jude’s School (Gossip Girl)
Not going to lie, my main motivation for including this one is so I could flirt with Chuck Bass and Nate Archibald. So, does that make me Jenny Humphrey or? I wouldn’t be wealthy enough to attend, so maybe I’d try for a scholarship. Wait, I might actually be Jenny Humphrey then. Still, I’d attend to hang out with Serena Van Der Woodsen and Blair Waldorf. Think about the shopping sprees they’d take me on!
9. Rydell High (Grease)
Since the 1950s were not a good decade for anyone who didn’t look like Danny Zuko, I think I’d want to go to Rydell just to wear the poodle skirt (hello, fashion), go to the diner (did you see the milkshakes?), and to hangout with the Thunderbirds (see: hotties).
8. Chilton Prep (Gilmore Girls)
Like Midtown Tech, I probably wouldn’t be smart enough to get in, but think about all the drama I’d witness if I was a student here! Bringing all that drama and baggage with her, I’d want to be friends with Rory Gilmore. Paris Gellar, too. I’d love to sit at their lunch table and watch them bicker over who got the highest test score and which one can write the lead cover story in the school newspaper. And if we become friendly enough, they can tutor me or offer me their notes when I’m struggling in class! This was the only private school I wanted to attend growing up.
7. Pacific Coast Academy (Zoey 101)
I have to admit I didn’t know Pacific Coast Academy (PCA) was a boarding school while I was watching Zoey 101 as a tween. I just thought it was normal they lived in those rooms together and their parents were somewhere else? That aside, I think I would’ve loved to be a student at PCA. You get to ride around on your scooter or walk to classes, hang out with your friends at the sushi place or dorm lounge between classes, and live near the beach. This was a taste of college while in high school. The walkable campus alone makes me envious of a high school experience that wasn’t even real.
6. Illyria Prep (She’s the Man)
Similar to PCA, I was unaware Illyria was a boarding school . . . even after learningthey were living in dorms. To be honest, the only reason I ever wanted to attend this school was to be near Duke (played by Channing Tatum). If the soccer players looked like that, I needed to be there. And honestly, the school sounds like a fun and healthy place to be. The soccer coach was pretty inclusive compared to other schools in the area and the vibes were chill. People were civil to each other instead of over at that other blue school.
5. Seven Seas High (Suite Life on Deck)
I begged my mom to let me attend high school on a cruise ship. I saw Dylan and Cole Sprouse, playing Zack and Cody Martin respectively, traveling the world as teenagers and wanted the same (and I had a massive crush on Dylan Sprouse, but that’s beside the point). It was a study abroad program before I knew what those were. Given everything I now know about cruise ships, I probably wouldn’t want to go on one, let alone attend high school on one. I did, however, desperately want to attend Seven Seas High and travel the world with the Martin twins, the unforgettable London Tipton, and girl-next-door Bailey.
4. Sky High (Sky High)
Who wouldn’t want to attend a high school with the children of superheroes and villains? Meeting so many students with cool and interesting powers was a dream. Even if I was a normal person with no powers, I’d still want to attend and become friends with the super students. I’d love to be friends with Layla (Danielle Panabaker) who would restore my plants that always die (green thumb who?). And we know my priorities. I also had a massive crush on Nicholas Braun in the movie, who played Zack, a guy who could glow in the dark. Who wouldn’t want to get mixed up with that?
3. Hollywood Arts (Victorious)
As someone who was in show choir in high school, I’d love to be a student and hang out with creatives like Tori, Andre, Beck, Jade, Cat, and Robby. Of the cast, I’d probably be most like Trina and desperately audition for all the parts in every play and talent show, failing miserably at each one. With so much talent roaming those halls, I’d feel comfortable flying under the radar with little talent. While my strengths lie elsewhere, I still wanted to be around all of the art and culture at Hollywood Arts. And, of course, sit in Mr. Sikowitz’s very entertaining drama class.
2. McKinley High (Glee)
Again, as a show choir kid, Glee was my jam. I wanted to sit in that choir room and watch everyone try out for the solos. I wanted to break out in song and dance on stage and in the hallways. I even wanted to get a slushie thrown in my face. Mr. Schue made everyone in that glee club feel like they were a part of something special, and because of that, I wanted to be a part of it too. Even as a viewer, it felt like a family.
1. East High (High School Musical)
I may not be nostalgic for my high school experience, but I am for the fictional high school at East High in Alberqueue, New Mexico. When Gabriella Montez was being signed up for classes and Sharpay Evans was signing her name on the talent show sign up sheet, I was in the principal’s office, enrolling as an honorary Wildcat. I like to say I would dabble in every single club just to try them all (and to meet so many interesting people). I’d probably make Chad Danforth mad who would tell me to “stick to the status quo,” but I wouldn’t have cared. I would be happy to be there, and I’d probably land in the drama club or with the brainiacs, and I’d definitely be friends with Kelsi and Martha. This is what I wanted my high school experience to be like: breaking out in song and dance in the middle of the hallway and cafeteria, falling in love with the most popular jock and auditioning for a musical with him, and dealing with jealous mean girls. Unfortunately, my high school didn’t turn out to be like that, so I’ll just settle for the movie.
See Y’all In The Fall!
Unfortunately, these high schools are fictional so I never actually got the chance to attend them. But it’s good to dream, right? It was fun to imagine myself strolling the hallways and passing characters like Betty Cooper, Rory Gilmore, and Troy Bolton. I liked to imagine who I would be in that fictional world and who I would be friends with. It paved the way for me to see how I would fit in at my actual high school and who I would be. High school was a pivotal time in my life. It allowed me to discover my interests and help me figure out who I want to be. Or at least get me on the right path to figuring out who I want to be. These fictional high schools, right there with my own high school experience, helped me get there.