10 movies about badass high schoolers to watch before the school year starts

With school fast approaching,we’re full of nerves. Will this year be harder than last year? Will someone decide this is the year to pick on us? One way to stave off the high school jitter is to think about others who have dealt with the horrors of high school—and survived. Now, thanks to streaming video, we can watch these heroes of high school in high definition.

Let these movies cure your back-to-school fears-

Easy A

We all fell in love with Emma Stone in this film about a “clean-cut high school student who relies on the school’s rumor mill to advance her social and financial standing.” Emma Stone slays in this film, and shows us that you can survive high school no matter what people think of you.

The Duff

The incredibly underrated The Duff is a film full of themes about self-acceptance and body acceptance, which is, like, a really good note to return to school on, especially considering the amount of bullying that happens on campuses and off of them.

Ferris Bueller’s Day Off

One of the classic school films is actually all about one student’s quest to ditch school for a day. This film is 30 years old, and yet it still feels incredibly modern (save for the lack of iPhones).

Back to the Future

As bad as we may think we have it, at least we don’t have to watch our parents survive high school.

Rushmore

Because all of us, at some point or another, feel like Max Fischer. If Max can survive high school, so can we. (Plus—Bill Murray!)

Bring It On

This comedy about competitive cheerleading will make you glad you weren’t asked to join the cheer squad.

Mean Girls

It’s no secret that we love Mean Girls. If you want to feel good about your own squad situation, trust Tina Fey to make you laugh.

Never Been Kissed

One of the best things about high school is leaving it. In the underrated comedy Never Been Kissed, Drew Barrymore proves that no matter how many years pass, when you return you can’t help but fall into familiar patterns.

Election

This dark satire of a high school election electrifies. With a witty script written and brilliantly directed by Alexander Payne, Election boasts Reese Witherspoon’s finest performance as annoying overachiever Tracy Flick. We all have a Tracy Flick in our class… luckily, we don’t have a Mr. McAllister.

The Breakfast Club

You can’t think “back to school” and “1980s” without thinking of this seminal film about a gang of misfits forced to spend a Saturday together. No matter what decade you attend high school in, this film is worth the watch. This film gives hope to loners everywhere that maybe, just maybe, you can get the girl. (Plus, Molly Ringwald is amazing, per usual.)