History Main / AbsurdlyDividedSchool

[[folder:Real Life]]
* Many schools in the US, especially Universities, became this during and after the 2016 election in concert with the intense political polarization, Republicans or children of Republicans on one side and Democrats on the other.
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* Students in ''VideoGame/FireEmblemThreeHouses'' are divided into the titular [[TitleDrop three houses]] depending upon their region of origin: the Black Eagles for the Adrestrian Empire, the Blue Lions for the Holy Kingdom of Faerghus, and the Golden Deer for the Leicester Alliance, with each house, specialising in certain weapons. You can recruit students to your house if you meet their requirements or your [[RelationshipValues Support Points]] are high enough. Once the TimeSkip occurs, everyone (with [[UndyingLoyalty some exceptions]]) is united under your chosen house (or [[spoiler:the Church of Seiros]] depending on your route).

* Many schools in the US, especially Universities, became this during and after the 2016 election in concert with the intense political polarization.

* [[WizardingSchool Hogwarts]] students in ''Literature/HarryPotter'' are divided into four houses (Gryffindor, Slytherin, Hufflepuff, and Ravenclaw) at the beginning of their education at the WizardingSchool. Each year, they compete in a contest about getting the most school points on good behavior, and whichever house gets the most points at the end of the school year wins the House Cup. In addition, they also compete in a [[FictionalSport Quidditch]] tournament every year. This results in Hogwarts Houses being very tribalistic (especially between Gryffindor and Slytherin) and have wildly differing cultures, such as Slytherin having more support for blood purity and Ravenclaw being more intellectual.

Compare UrbanSegregation and AggressiveCategorism, FantasticCasteSystem, and GroupedForYourConvenience, all of which capture similar ideas about division and judgment, but on a wider scale than just a school setting. They may overlap if the school system is a ''product'' of the wider societal issues.

Every school is somewhat divided into different, smaller groups, as every student would naturally find their own niche eventually and people generally hang out with other people with similar interests and personalities. It's only natural for the student body to be split, and for cliques to form as a result. But in fictionland, sometimes this is taken to it's natural extreme- not only is the school divided, but those divides decide ''everything'' in the school. The cliques don't mingle, and when they do, it's to antagonize each other, with each group seeing all the others in a negative light.

* Clique-Based: Every student is sorted into a clique, and it's frowned upon to have friends or interests outside of that one clique. Sometimes there are so many cliques we need a CliqueTour to introduce them all, but other times, it's boiled down to the basic "Popular Student Clique versus Everyone Else", with that elite clique often being involved in sports. Please note though that a school just ''having'' cliques isn't enough -- there must be some acknowledgement of the divide these cliques cause in order to count.

* In ''[[Manga/GreatTeacherOnizuka GTO: Paradise Lost]]'', Onizuka has to teach the G-class, where students are all teenage entertainers who are divided into three classes (A, B and C) ranked by celebrity and enjoying, for the higher ranks, more privileges such as being able to more easily leave during courses.

* In ''Anime/YuGiOhGX'', Duel Academy students are grouped into three dorms: Obelisk Blue students are the elites, in either dueling skills or family connections; Ra Yellow students are mostly promising duelists; and Slifer Red students are considered rejects and losers. There's a ''lot'' of strife between dorms -- at least, until [[TheHero Jaden Yuki]] (a Slifer Red) starts shaking up the status quo.

* Experiment House, in Creator/CSLewis ''Literature/TheSilverChair,'' is a horrid example of this trope. Run on the theory that "boys and girls should be allowed to do what they liked," a gang of bullies take over and make the lives of all the others, including our protagonists Jill and Eustace, living nightmares. They are so feared that they are referred to only as '' "Them" '', and the faculty is on "Their" side: "The Head said they were interesting psychological cases and sent for them and talked to them for hours. And if you knew the right sort of things to say to the Head, the main result was that you became rather a favourite than otherwise."

* In ''VideoGame/EnsembleStars'', this was enforced by the AbsurdlyPowerfulStudentCouncil during the war, as they scapegoated any other students they were unable to control (especially the 'five oddballs') and rewarded those who helped them. This created a massive power disparity as it was basically impossible for any idol unit not favored by the student council to achieve top ranks in competitions, impacting not only their popularity at school but their later career prospects. Those who were attacked by the student council banded together, and ultimately with their help, Trickstar was able to disrupt the system and massively curtail the student council's power. While during the War the atmosphere at school had been very hostile between different groups, this eased that tension hugely, and afterward most characters are happy to make friends across old enemy lines.
* Students in ''VideoGame/FireEmblemThreeHouses'' are divided into the titular [[TitleDrop three houses]] depending upon their region of origin: the Black Eagles for the Adrestrian Empire, the Blue Lions for the Holy Kingdom of Faerghus, and the Golden Deer for the Leicester Alliance, with each house specialising in certain weapons. You can recruit students to your house if you meet their requirements or your [[RelationshipValues Support Points]] are high enough. Once the TimeSkip occurs, everyone (with [[UndyingLoyalty some exceptions]]) is united under your chosen house (or [[spoiler:the Church of Seiros]] depending on your route).
* ''VideoGame/TheLegendOfHeroesTrailsOfColdSteel'' has Thors' Military Academy, a military academy in the empire of Erebonia that has been around for over 200 years, and has always had classes segregated based on social status. The plot involves the creation of Class VII, the first class in the academy's history to mix nobles and commoners. Besides Class VII, each year has five segregated classes, with three classes for commoners and two classes for nobles. The noble students tend to get a lot of perks that the commoners don't have access to, such as access to a salon, and a summer vacation.

* The five Houses in ''Literature/TheSecretsOfDrearcliffGrangeSchool'' (each named after a Shakespeare heroine) are presented as not mixing much, and each having a unique character (defined as [[Music/TheSpiceGirls scary, sporty, babies, posh, and "red-headed stepchildren", the ones who don't fit anywhere else]]). We're not told how Houses are assigned to girls who started as Firsts, but when Amy joins the school as a Third, she's put in Desdemona (the red-headed stepchildren) simply because a Desdemona Third has transferred out, and therefore there's a spare bed. Presumably, if she'd been put in one of the other Houses, she'd have been pressurised into following the House stereotype. The school is further divided into [[DifferentlyPoweredIndividuals Unusuals]] and [[{{Muggles}} Ordinaries]].

* Clique-Based: Every student is sorted into a clique, and it's frowned upon to have friends or interests outside of that one clique. Sometimes there are so many cliques we need a CliqueTour to introduce them all, but other times, it's boiled down to the basic "Popular Student Clique versus Everyone Else", with that elite clique often being involved in sports. Please note though that a school just ''having'' cliques isn't enough -- there must be some acknowledgment of the divide these cliques cause in order to count.

* Students in ''VideoGame/FireEmblemThreeHouses'' are divided into the titular [[TitleDrop three houses]] depending upon their region of origin: the Black Eagles for the Adrestrian Empire, the Blue Lions for the Holy Kingdom of Faerghus, and the Golden Deer for the Leicester Alliance, with each house specialising in certain weapons. You can recruit students to your house if you meet their requirements or your [[RelationshipValues Support Points]] are high enough. Once the TimeSkip occurs, everyone is united under your chosen house (or the Church of Seiros depending on your route).

* The five Houses in ''Literature/TheSecretsOfDrearcliffGrangeSchool'' (each named after a Shakespeare heroine) are presented as not mixing much, and each having a unique character (defined as [[Music/TheSpiceGirls scary, sporty, babies, posh, and "red-headed stepchildren", the ones who don't fit anywhere else]]). We're not told how Houses are assigned to girls who started as Firsts, but when Amy joins the school as a Third, she's put in Desdemona (the red-headed stepchildren) simply because a Desdemona Third has transferred out, and therefore there's a spare bed. Presumably, if she'd been put in one of the other Houses, she'd have been pressurised into following the House stereotype.

[[folder:Anime and Manga]]

[[folder:Fanfiction]]

* Satirized in the Netflix high school comedy ''Series/Daybreak2019''. The show is set AfterTheEnd, where nuclear war and biological warfare have rendered the Southern California city of Glendale a TeenageWasteland. The pre-established clique division of the city's high school was so significant that it heavily influenced the formation of the many factions, or "Tribes," that's made up of what's left of the world's youths. For example, if you were an athlete in high school before the Apocalypse, you aligned yourself with the Jocks; if you were a cheerleader, you aligned with the Cheermazons; if you were a gamer, you were with the Game Overs, and so on and so forth.

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* [[WizardingSchool Hogwarts]] students in ''Literature/HarryPotter'' are divided in four houses (Gryffindor, Slytherin, Hufflepuff, and Ravenclaw), which compete each year in a contest about getting the most of points on good behaviour and school results and which have wildly differing cultures, such as Slytherin having more support for blood purity and Ravenclaw being more intellectual. Another facet of this divide is that the houses compete each year in a Quidditch tournament, fueling the rivalry further.

* ''Toys/EverAfterHigh'': Students are divided into two groups, Royal and Rebel. The Royal students are intent on following their individual destinies to keep their stories alive, while the Rebel students are unhappy with their destinies and would rather follow their own.

* In ''Film/SkyHigh'', the titular school is divided between heroes and "hero support", also known as side-kicks, based solely on their powers at the time of enrollment. "Hero support" students are looked down on by pretty much everyone else, and outright bulled in most cases, in addition to their classroom being much smaller and poorly funded, and them not even having the privilege to choose their own hero names. The driving conflict of the film is the protagonist being sorted into Hero Support for not having a superpower.

* Clique-Based: Every student is sorted into a clique, and it's frowned upon to have friends or interests outside of that one clique. Sometimes there are so many cliques we need a CliqueTour to introduce them all, but other times, it's boiled down to the basic "Popular Student Clique versus Everyone Else", with that elite clique often being involved in sports. Please note though that a school just ''having'' cliques isn't enough- there must be some acknowledgement of the divide these cliques cause in order to count.
* Social-Class-Based: The school is divided by the student's wealth or lack-there-of; usually this means there's a wealthier elite and a less-wealthy majority, who may have less privilege and a worse treatment. The students sort themselves based on class, and as a result, there's often a class war that ensues.

And rest assured; things ''will'' be shaken up. It's almost a guarantee that this system will be threatened somehow, either by the quirky protagonist breaking down the barriers, a major conflict between groups that forces a solution to be found, or the divide's main-enforcer being thrown out of power. This isn't easy, and there's bound to be a lot of major opposition, but the heroes will invariably be on the side of fixing the divide and allowing students to be treated equally. Even if the system doesn't crumble entirely, the protagonist will often try and make things less strict.

Compare UrbanSegregation and AggressiveCategorism, FantasticCasteSystem, and GroupedForYourConvenience, all of which capture similar ideas about division and judgement, but on a wider scale than just a school setting. They may overlap if the school system is a ''product'' of the wider societal issues.

* In ''Manga/KaguyaSamaLoveIsWar'', Shuchiin Academy students are divided between the pure students who have been in the Academy since childhood, and the impure students who came in from outside. The fact that Shirogane managed to become the Student Council President despite being an impure is considered very impressive.
* In ''[[Manga/GreatTeacherOnizuka GTO: Paradise Lost]]'', Onizuka has to teach the G-class, where students are all teenage entertainers who are divided in three classes (A, B and C) ranked by celebrity and enjoying, for the higher ranks, more privileges such as being able to more easily leave during courses.
* An interesting example for Honnouji Academy in ''Anime/KillLaKill'' where the students are not divided by cliques or clubs, but by star level, from the President of the AbsurdlyPowerfulStudentCouncil and her four 3-star generals to the pathetic no stars that make up the general population. A student's star level dictates what resources they and their families have access to. Upward mobility is possible, but grueling and, unless you can come up with an unique and new school club of your own, requires replacing someone else to get past 1-star.

* In ''Fanfic/MyImmortal'', Hogwarts is apparently divided into two antagonistic groups, the villainous, pastel-wearing, pop-music loving "Prepz", and the protagonist's group, the "goffs", who wear dark colors, listen to "goffik" music, and even change their names to be "evil" or "dark" sounding. These two groups are so utterly opposed to each other that they regularly insult, torment, and ''assault'' one-another, but the "preps" are in a position of power, due to most of the school faculty taking their side. It used to be even worse in the past, as Enoby learns that Dumblydore used to be ''so'' anti-"goff", he'd send students to ''[[TheAlcatraz Azkaban]]'' for it.

[[folder:Films-- Live-Action]]

* ''Film/LemonadeMouth'': The highschool is very much run on the principal of "Athletes Vs. Everyone Else". All the non-athletic clubs are shoved into the basement and are severely neglected by their sports-obsessed principal, and when the titular band try and revolt against this unfair treatment, they get bullied by the most powerful kids in school and targeted by said principal, as well.

* In ''Film/SkyHigh2005'', the titular school is divided between heroes and "hero support", also known as side-kicks, based solely on their powers at the time of enrollment. "Hero support" students are looked down on by pretty much everyone else, and outright bulled in most cases, in addition to their classroom being much smaller and poorly funded, and them not even having the privilege to choose their own hero names. The driving conflict of the film is the protagonist being sorted into Hero Support for not having a superpower.
* ''Film/TheWave'' is about a high school teacher creating a social movement (the Wave) in his class encouraging discipline and a definite us/them mentality, which at first produces positive results but quickly degenerates into an elitist environment where people are getting ostracized for not joining the movement. The teacher quickly announces the movement's leader will make a televized broadcast... [[SomeAnvilsNeedToBeDropped and shows a picture of Hitler.]]

* [[WizardingSchool Hogwarts]] students in ''Literature/HarryPotter'' are divided in four houses (Gryffindor, Slytherin, Hufflepuff and Ravenclaw), which compete each year in a contest about getting the most of points on good behaviour and school results and which have wildly differing cultures, such as Slytherin having more support for blood purity and Ravenclaw being more intellectual. Another facet of this divide is that the houses compete each year in a Quidditch tournament, fueling the rivalry further.

* In ''Series/KamenRiderFourze'', Gentaro Kisaragi's life goal is to befriend everybody. When he enters high school, he is told it be impossible for him to befriend every student body since they are divided into cliques. By around the 10th episode he does befriend everybody, subverting the trope.
* In the ''Series/MalcolmInTheMiddle'' episode "Cliques", the Krelboynes end up being split among the general student population after an unauthorized science experiment causes the Krelboyne facilities to be temporarily condemned for decontamination. Various Krelboynes end up joining other cliques, such as the goths, skaters, jocks, and so on, until the whole student body is divided against itself because it no longer has the unifying factor of their jealousy/hatred of the Krelboynes to unite them.

* In ''VideoGame/EnsembleStars'', this was enforced by the AbsurdlyPowerfulStudentCouncil during the war, as they scapegoated any other students they were unable to control (especially the 'five oddballs') and rewarded those who helped them. This created a massive power disparity as it was basically impossible for any idol unit not favoured by the student council to achieve top ranks in competitions, impacting not only their popularity at school but their later career prospects. Those who were attacked by the student council banded together, and ultimately with their help Trickstar was able to disrupt the system and massively curtail the student council's power. While during the War the atmosphere at school had been very hostile between different groups, this eased that tension hugely, and afterwards most characters are happy to make friends across old enemy lines.

* In ''Film/SkyHigh'', the titular school is divided between heroes and "hero support", also known as side-kicks, based solely on their powers at the time of enrollment. "Hero support" students are looked down on by pretty much everyone else, and outright bulled in most cases, in addition to their classroom being much smaller and poorly funded, and them not even having the privilege to choose their own hero names. The driving conflict of the film is the protagonist being sorted into Hero Support for not having a superpower.

SchoolTropes, PrejudiceTropes
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