Summer is coming to an end, and it’s time to strap on the backpack after a few months away. Every new school year brings a collection of new experiences: harder classes, students you’ve never met, and new personas to try on as you settle into who you want to be. It can feel a bit overwhelming, but there’s no better way to get into the spirit of starting up the school year again than to binge some classroom-themed shows while you pick out your first-day outfits…or just something to help procrastinate on your summer reading. Here are the best back-to-school shows streaming!
For more recommendations, check out our list of thebest shows on Netflix,Hulu, andMax.
‘Abbott Elementary’ (2021 - Present)
Rotten Tomatoes: 99% | IMDb: 8.2/10
Abbott Elementary
Created by and starring actress and comedianQuinta Brunson(A Black Lady Sketch Show) along with a gold-star ensemble cast,Abbott Elementaryis a hilarious mockumentary-style comedy about the ragtag teaching staff at an underfunded Philadelphia elementary school. The series uses the same single-camera format asThe OfficeandParks and Recreation, but the subjects are much more colorful, featuring a diverse cast of varying ethnicities and sexualities. However, it’s not just the amazing representation that makes the show great. The writing is always on point, delivering oodles of character-driven hilarity while creating wholesome storylines about the scrappiness it takes toeducate the next generation in a broken system.
Watch on Hulu
‘Sex Education’ (2019 - 2023)
Rotten Tomatoes: 94% | IMDb: 8.2/10
Sex Education
This raunchy teen drama is one of the best ways to get in the mood to start the school year, not just because it will get your spirits up but also because it provides legitimate sex ed information that some students don’t have access to.Sex Education, starringAsa Butterfield(The Space Between Us),Gillian Anderson(The First Lady), andNcuti Gatwa(Doctor Who), follows Butterfield as a secondary school kid in a fictional British town who uses his mother’s sex therapy textbooks to start an intimacy therapy clinic at school to help his fellow students. It’s a charming and relatable series that allows the subject matter to expand with each season. Also, it justwrapped up the final season, so you can binge the whole thing before the school year starts!
Watch on Netflix
‘Derry Girls’ (2018 - 2022)
Rotten Tomatoes: 99% | IMDb: 8.5/10
Derry Girls
For a delightfully funperiod teen comedyset in Northern Ireland during the Troubles of the mid-90s, you can’t go wrong withDerry Girls. StarringSaoirse-Monica Jackson(The Decameron),Louisa Harland(The Deceived),Nicola Coughlan(Bridgerton),Jamie-Lee O’Donnell(Screw), andDylan Llewellyn(Big Boys), the series explores the lives of regular secondary school kids in Derry during a time of political unrest and how that shapes their interactions with society — something that this current generation of students of any grade can relate to in our current political environment. For teenagers just venturing into the world, it can seem like school is your whole life, and this series manages to capture that unique feeling of a teen’s internal struggles bumping up against the struggles of their community.
‘Gilmore Girls’ (2000 - 2007)
Rotten Tomatoes: 88% | IMDb: 8.2/10
Gilmore Girls
Anyone who loves a goodAaron Sorkin(The West Wing) banterfest but prefers coming-of-age dramas over politics is sure to enjoyGilmore Girlscreated byAmy Sherman-Palladino(The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel) and starringLauren Graham(Zoey’s Extraordinary Playlist) andAlexis Bledel(The Handmaid’s Tale) as a mother-daughter duo trying to make a life for themselves in a small Connecticut town. This witty, fast-talking show is the perfect family watch as it not only focuses on the challenges of being agifted teen who doesn’t fit in at schoolbut also the struggles of being a single mom trying to give their child the best life they can. Though the show lacks a bit of the color I typically champion, it’s still a great binge before running off to college.
‘Freaks and Geeks’ (1999 - 2000)
Rotten Tomatoes: 100% | IMDb: 8.8/10
Freaks and Geeks
Created by two titans of modern comedy,Paul Feig(Bridesmaids) andJudd Apatow(Superbad),Freaks and Geeksis a cult classic with a cast full of talent that would grow to become household names. FeaturingLinda Cardellini(Dead to Me),Seth Rogen(Invincible),Jason Segel(Shrinking), and many more, the show eschews the traditional teen drama format that tends to focus on the romantic problems of beautiful popular kids and instead focuses on a group of outcasts who embody a realistic high school experience. Thoughit wasn’t appreciated as much while airing, this gem has finally gotten the respect it deserves over the last few decades as its timeless depiction of growing up resonates with each new generation.
‘Community’ (2009 - 2015)
Rotten Tomatoes: 88% | IMDb: 8.5/10
Before venturing into the multiverse withRick and Morty,Dan Harmoncreated this irreverently absurd sitcom featuring an ensemble cast of archetype subversions.Communityfollows the often meta shenanigans of a small study group at a local community college who are each so flawed in their own ways that they can’t help but get into ridiculous situations. The show is known for the clever ways it comments on the typical sitcom format while using it to create a uniquely ridiculous world. It’s definitely not your standard coming-of-age school setting (far from it), but it will get your funny bone shaking with delight — not to mention that the paintball episodes were so fantastic that theyset the stage for theRusso Brothers(Avengers: Infinity War) to break into the MCU.
Watch on Peacock
‘Pen15’ (2019 - 2021)
Rotten Tomatoes: 97% | IMDb: 8.1/10
I doubt any middle schoolers are reading this article, but if so, welcome! DoesPen15make you feel seen? Created by and starringMaya Erskine(Mr. & Mrs. Smith)andAnna Konkle(The Afterparty), this wild comedy takes us back to the year 2000 to relive the seventh grade, with Erskine and Konkle stepping into the shoes of their younger selves. There is no gloss or CW sheen in this show — it’s all the raw awkwardness of being a preteen who still hasn’t figured out their place in the world but knows they want that world filled with cute boys. There is an art to balancing the gross moments of adolescence with the grounded reality of trying to feel like a person worthy of friendship and love, and this show walks that line perfectly.
‘Elite’ (2018 - 2024)
Rotten Tomatoes: 71% | IMDb: 7.2/10
Speaking of the CW sheen,Eliteis a Spanish-language high school drama that follows a host of hot and hip young students at a prestigious private school and the working-class enrollment lottery winners trying to navigate the upper-class social dynamics. This show is likeEuphoriabut with a bit more to say about social issues plaguing burgeoning adults, like classism, exploring one’s sexuality, and discovering drugs. With only eight episodes per season, the show moves at a great pace, fleshing out each of the main characters while unfolding murderous mysteries along the way. It’s a captivating show, but ensure you don’t watch with your parents unless you are fine with them sitting next to you during the abundant intimacy scenes.
‘Friday Night Lights’ (2006 - 2011)
Rotten Tomatoes: 97% | IMDb: 8.7/10
Friday Night Lights
Based on the novel and film of the same name,Friday Night Lightsis an award-winning football drama full of inspirational moments with an unmatched charm.Kyle Chandler(Godzilla vs. Kong) steps onto the field as the head coach of a high school football team in West Texas in a small town that takes their local sports very seriously — though he’s not alone, as the series features an ensemble of amazing actors includingConnie Britton(Nashville),Adrianne Palicki(The Orville),Michael B. Jordan(Creed III), andJurnee Smollett(Birds of Prey). The show uses the framing of working together as a team to mirror the ways that their community needs to come together to address contemporary issues that young people face, like racism, reproductive rights, and wealth inequality. If you go in with clear eyes and a full heart, you can’t lose with this show.
‘Never Have I Ever’ (2020 - 2023)
Rotten Tomatoes: 93% | IMDb: 7.8/10
Never Have I Ever
Actress and writerMindy Kaling(The Office) presents a comedy with a hint of autobiographical flavor that followsMaitreyi Ramakrishnan(Turning Red) as Devi, a high school sophomore whose father’s death inspires her to rebrand herself and her friends to get to the top of the social ladder. As with many Kaling shows,Never Have I Everis sufficiently horny while displaying a surprising amount of heart, with a lot of the emotional grounding coming from the three leads, Ramakrishnan,Ramona Young(DC’s Legends of Tomorrow), andLee Rodriguez(Class of Lies), who have excellent best friend chemistry. Anyone looking for a fun high school romp is going to get a kick out of this show.
‘Degrassi: The Next Generation’ (2001 - 2015)
IMDb: 7.6/10
Degrassi: The Next Generation
Degrassi: The Next Generationcaptures a moment of timein a bottle that feels both timeless and nostalgic. This Canadian teen soap opera that ran for over a decade was the perfect ensemble series that allowed the characters to grow up alongside the viewers, allowing the topics they could cover to be more mature as the series continued. It starts with first crushes and family issues but eventually covers school shootings, sexually transmitted infections, and suicide. Also, for anyDrakefans out there, this is where he got his start, and you may watch him be a big shot in a world before he got brutally walloped in a rap battle — happier times for Mr. Graham.
Watch on Tubi
‘Heartstopper’ (2022 - Present)
Rotten Tomatoes: 98% | IMDb: 8.6/10
Heartstopper
Based on the graphic novel of the same name,Heartstopperis an uplifting British queer drama followingJoe Locke(Agatha All Along) as a freshman who is secretly in love with the boy he sits next to in class. The story has a personal feel to it as it illustrates the internal struggles of the main character and his merry band of outcasts as they navigate coming out, unrequited crushes, and the bullying that students experience as they come to terms with their sexuality. It’s a heartwarming series that drips with an earnestness that many dramas aren’t bold enough to try. Moreover, the queer representation is outstanding, especiallyYasmin Finney(Doctor Who), who uses her experience as a trans woman to portray a rich and nuanced character.
