Follow TV Tropes

Following

School Tropes

Go To

Typical American High School
Filled with heteronormative teens
All kissing and a thousand corduroys
Trying to figure out what it all means
Typical American High School

Tropes related to education in its many forms. Anything from brutal sadistic training to inspiring life-changing education. See also Skills and Training Tropes.

Also known as "I schooled your index."


Tropes:

    open/close all folders 

    General/miscellaneous tropes 

    Schools and classes 

    Admissions, attendance and advancement 

    Students 

    Student relationships and cliques 

    School clubs and other organizations 

    School events 
  • Class Reunion: The graduating class of a school meet each other again at the school years later.
    • Reunion Revenge: One of the former students takes the reunion as a chance to get back at the peers who wronged them.
  • Class Trip: A class leaves school for a day out to an educational landmark or museum.
  • Fundraiser Carnival: A school throws a carnival in order to help raise money.
  • Graduate from the Story: The main cast of a school centered story are graduating.
  • Graduation for Everyone: The whole cast of a show graduate school whether they were a good student or not.
  • High-School Dance: A high school event where students ask each other to be their dates to the dance.
  • Measuring Day: Students are given an annual physical examination.
  • Picture Day: Students attempt to look nice the whole school day so they will look nice for their school photo.
  • Prom Is for Straight Kids: LGBTQ students aren't allowed to attend prom, at least not as a same-sex couple.
  • The Prom Plot: High school juniors and seniors attend their prom or an adult is a chaperone or date to a prom.
  • Science Fair: A school event where students prepare science projects.
  • School Festival: A school-wide event where all the clubs compete in various activities.
  • School Play: Students put on a play, which is typically quite terrible.
  • Show-and-Tell Antics: Students bring things to school for show and tell.

    Schoolwork and grading 

    Disciplinary techniques 
  • After-School Cleaning Duty: Students stay after school to clean the classroom.
  • Chucking Chalk: A teacher throws a piece of chalk at their misbehaving students.
  • Corporal Punishment: A teacher inflicts physical pain on a student as a form of punishment.
  • Dunce Cap: A student is made to sit in the corner while wearing a pointy cap as punishment for misbehaving and/or getting an answer wrong.
  • Good Behavior Points: Students are given or taken away points for showing either favorable or poor behavior.
  • Nails on a Blackboard: Someone runs their nails across a chalkboard.
  • Standing in the Hall: A student is made to stand in the hall as punishment.
  • Writing Lines: A student is punished by having to write a sentence promising they'll never do what they did wrong again a large amount of times.

    School uniforms and related apparel 

    Degrees 
  • A Degree in Useless: A college degree in a subject that is worthless.
  • Geniuses Have Multiple PhDs: Fictional geniuses get more than one PhD to prove they're an expert, even though this wouldn't be necessary in real life.
  • I Minored in Tropology: A character reveals that they are educated in a field or subject that is unexpected for them.
  • MRS Degree: A woman who goes to college to find a husband.
  • Phony Degree: A person has a degree for something they didn't earn.
  • Worthless Foreign Degree: A person from a foreign country gets a mediocre job rather than a job they are qualified for.

    Martial arts or military training 


Top