5 Best & 5 Worst High School Movies, According To Rotten Tomatoes

High school movies have left a special mark in movie history, starting in the last century and continuing today. What may be a trend spawned one of the most popular movies of all time. And it is impossible to pick just one high school movie to genuinely like (or dislike).

One may be surprised that some of the best high school movies made to date are not necessarily top-rated movies on Rotten Tomatoes, but rest assured, these are all interesting teen movie finds, as well as some you may wish to avoid.

10 Best: Back to the Future (1985) – 96%

The quintessential time travel movie, Back to the Future is an epic sci-fi blockbuster about the exploits of Marty McFly (Michael J. Fox) trying to get back to his own time in 1985 with the help of his mentor Doc Emmett Brown (Christopher Lloyd). However, Marty cross paths with the young versions of his parents.

This Robert Zemeckis masterpiece is just a feel-good movie of its own. Clichéd as it sometimes is, it is full of heart and fun, from the DeLorean zapping through time and space to the school dance.

9 Worst: Dumb And Dumberer: When Harry Met Lloyd (2004) – 10%

Yes, Dumb and Dumber has a prequel. It takes place in 1986 when Harry Dunne (Derek Richardson) met Lloyd Christmas (Eric Christian Olsen) in high school. Together, they dealt with a host of high school stereotypes, like a mean principal and teenage outcasts.

Critics felt this movie tried too hard to execute its slapstick comedy and mean-spirited humor, only to end up looking pretentious, smug and unfunny. The lack of Jim Carrey and Jeff Daniels only hurts the two leads trying so hard to copy them.

8 Best: Hairspray (1988) – 98%

Before Hairspray was a hit Broadway musical that became a hit movie adaptation in 2007, it was a John Waters comedy and marked a departure from his X-rated work. It tells the story of a bubbly Baltimore teenager, Tracy Turnblad, who aspires to be a dancer on a local TV show.

Waters provided a layered tale about acceptance: first with Tracy achieving her confidence, second with Penny’s relationship with Black student Seaweed, and third through its depiction of racial segregation in television. Its stories and themes are truly rich, even today.

7 Worst: Bratz (2007) – 10%

Based on the doll brand, Bratz centers on four fashion-obsessed teenage friends – Cloe, Yasmin, Sasha, and Jade – and their time in high school. The student body president intends on breaking the friendship up and sorting them into various social cliques, but it only brings out the worst in the girls.

The movie is a cross of Mean Girls with every high school stereotype and some cross-promotion with the MGA dolls. This made it one of the worst movies of 2007, criticized for its mixed messages and teenage pandering.

6 Best: Hoop Dreams (1994) – 98%

The only documentary on this list, Hoop Dreams chronicles the story of two Black high school students from Chicago, William Gates and Arthur Agee, as they go on a journey to become college pro basketball players. It also explores their daily lives at home and in school.

Documentarian Steve James uses the format to show two boys and their families dealing with race, class, education and family life. Above all, this is a poignant coming-of-age story and now considered one of the best documentaries of all time.

5 Worst: Full Of It (2007) – 6%

Written by future The Hangover and Bad Moms writers, Jon Lucas and Scott Moore, Full of It tells the story of a new teenager in town named Sam who, after his disastrous first day, is advised to fabricate stories to become popular. A few days later, his lies magically come true.

The overall movie looks like a television movie in its quality and that’s because it was first aired as an ABC Family original film. It packs in all the expected high school clichés in a predictable “stay-true-to-yourself” story and most critics felt it was not fun.

4 Best: Say Anything … (1989) – 98%

As Cameron Crowe’s directorial debut, Say Anything… represents the highs and lows of gradutation from high school. The film is framed as a love story between average senior Lloyd Dobler (John Cusack) and class valedictorian Diane Court (Ione Skye), as they deal with the pains of their future and brewing romance.

This film is an enriching coming-of-age tale about two teenagers as they deal with and mature in their emotions. For this reason, it resonates with every generation. And who can forget the iconic scene of Lloyd lifting the boombox as it played “In Your Eyes”?

3 Worst: Zapped! (1982) – 6%

Zapped! is teen sex comedy about bookworm Barney Springboro (Scott Baio), who accidentally gains telekinetic powers from a laboratory. He then uses these abilities to take revenge against his bullies. High school hijinks ensue as Barney comes to terms with the damage he done (or not).

This movie took the plot of Carrie, injected it with elements from Porky’s and transformed it into a teenage boy’s fantasy about tormenting his enemies and wooing girls. The audience felt it was lacking in laughs and substance and generally gave it a pass.

2 Best: The Last Picture Show (1971) – 100%

From renowned director Peter Bogdanovich comes the Oscar-winning coming-of-age drama, The Last Picture Show. This film centers on a group of high-schoolers from a small town in Texas during the early 1950s as they examine their bleak futures. The cast ensemble includes Timothy Bottoms, Jeff Bridges, Ellen Burstyn, Ben Johnson, Cloris Leachman, and Cybill Shepherd.

The film is huge in emotional resonance, as each character has to deal with their life path, specifically Sonny (Bottoms) and Duane (Bridges). For this reason, it deserves its lasting legacy that includes its 100% Rotten Tomatoes rating.

1 Worst: Vampires Suck (2010) – 4%

And finally, what is technically a spoof of a young-adult franchise set in high school. Vampires Suck is a parody of the YA blockbuster Twilight franchise and much like the franchise it mocks, the movie follows a teenage girl named Becca Crane who is trapped in a love triangle between vampire Edward Sullen (Matt Lanter) and werewolf Jacob White.

This so-called parody relies on numerous Twilight references (and other pop culture bits) without any context, heart, or wit. Instead, most felt that it was humorless and imprudent.

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