The anime industry is known for churning out a lot of slice-of-life comedy and drama series, and they often take place in a high school. This isn’t an accident; many anime viewers are in high school themselves, so this academic setting is relatable and familiar. But that doesn’t have to make for stale, routine storytelling. Some high school anime go above and beyond.
Some high school anime are just so charming, so heart-warming, and so funny that anyone who’s getting into anime for the first time can try them out as an introduction to the anime world. The students in these high school anime have a lot on their plate: homework, teachers, bullies, crushes, or even a harem of magical girls or robot classmates.
Updated April 4th, 2023 by Louis Kemner: every anime season brings even more high school anime for fans to enjoy, and a few of them are bound to rank among the best school anime a fan can watch. Now, with the Spring 2023 anime season right around the corner, anime fans are eager to see even more fantastic school life anime series, some new, some returning for another season.
35 Shikimori’s Not Just A Cutie
Shikimori’s Not Just a Cutie is a fairly conventional but still lovable high school anime series for fans of low-drama romances with a serious cuteness factor. In this anime, the pink-haired Shikimori is a real powerhouse, being a smart, widely respected, and athletic girl who loves her everyday life.
Most of all, Shikimori loves her gentle dandere boyfriend Izumi Yuu, who’s simply glad to be in the picture at all. Along the way, Shikimori’s Not Just a Cutie will look past Shikimori’s seemingly perfect veneer and explore her relatable insecurities, making her a better-rounded character over time.
34 One-Week Friends
One-Week Friends may not rank that high among the best high school of all time, but it’s still a lovable little anime that has a unique twist on the dandere archetype. The female lead Kaori Fujimiya isn’t just quiet and insecure, she loses all memory of her friends every week.
Kaori gave up on having friends and a social life, only for her male classmate Yuuki Hase to take notice of her and offer to help her overcome this bizarre memory issue. Kaori hesitated at first, but then she warmly accepted Yuuki as her friend, and found happiness for the first time in years.
33 Kubo Won’t Let Me Be Invisible
Streaming exclusively on HIDIVE, Kubo Won’t Let Me Be Invisible tells the tale of Junta Shiraishi who is such a plain dandere, he is almost literally invisible to everyone around him. Junta thought he’d spend his high school career all alone, but Nagisa Kubo won’t let that happen.
The friendly, cheerful Nagisa Kubo befriended Junta one day and gently teased him, encouraging Junta to stand up for himself and let his presence be known. A gentle, innocent romance soon blossoms between them, and then it’s Kubo’s turn to be a bashful dandere when she must face her true feelings about the world’s most invisible boy.
32 The Melancholy Of Haruhi Suzumiya
The Melancholy Of Haruhi Suzumiya was a juggernaut for the high school anime subgenre back in the early 2000s. Kyon, the male lead, is notoriously snarky and always has a sarcastic comment for every situation, which only encourages the titular Haruhi’s eccentric behavior.
Haruhi admits that she’s bored with “normal” people, so she sets her sights on communicating with paranormal and extraterrestrial entities. Haruhi became the president of her school’s paranormal activity club, called the SOS Brigade. The Melancholy Of Haruhi Suzumiya has withstood the test of time, and every anime fan should watch it at least once.
31 Hyouka
Hyouka stars Houtarou Oreki, an apathetic teenager whose only goal in life is to preserve as much energy as he can. Unfortunately, nothing ever goes according to plan for him. His sister signed him up for the Classic Literature Club so that it wouldn’t get disbanded.
There, he meets a girl named Eru who took a liking to him because of his impressive deductive reasoning skills. Eru is one of the few people who Houtarou can actually tolerate. Hyouka’s character-driven plot and surprisingly emotional narrative really drive the story home.
30 Classroom Of The Elite
Most high school anime try to keep things short, sweet, and funny. However, Classroom Of The Elite isn’t afraid to call out the reality of high school. This anime observes the flaws of the education system and portrays it in a dog-eat-dog light. Koudo Ikusei Senior High seems like the average high school, except with more freedom. It’s a highly respected institution in Japan.
However, appearances aren’t everything. Within the schools’ walls lies a harsh ranking system. Students at the top receive the best treatment, while those at the bottom are regarded as trash. Class rankings aren’t permanent, but it’s not an easy task to ascend in such a system, especially since it’s built to work against those inside it.
29 Welcome To Demon School! Iruma-Kun
High school is difficult enough as it is, but it’s even harder for the sole human student attending a school for demons. In Welcome To Demon School! Iruma-Kun, the titular Iruma Suzuki enrolls at Babyls, a high school in the netherworld for demons. His deadbeat parents sold him to a demon in exchange for money.
The demon, Sullivan, adopted Iruma as his grandson. Sullivan warned Iruma never to reveal his humanity to the other students since they might eat him. Despite his unfortunate circumstances, Iruma fares surprisingly well in the netherworld and even fits in a little too well with his demonic peers.
28 The Disastrous Life Of Saiki K.
The Disastrous Life Of Saiki K. is a must-watch for any fan of comedy. The anime follows Saiki Kusuo, a teenage psychic with a seemingly endless roster of magical powers. It’s fast-paced, and every episode adds to the show’s already long list of running gags.
Saiki mainly sticks to internal monologues and doesn’t talk much to the other characters. He proves that high school is already hard enough, but it’s even more challenging as a psychic who can read others’ minds. He finds his powers and other people equally troublesome. The show doesn’t follow a strict plot, but that’s part of its charm.
27 Horimiya
Most romance anime often don’t show what occurs after the confession, but the high school anime series Horimiya does just the opposite. Not only does it flesh out the relationship between the main characters, Miyamura and Hori, but it also expands upon the romance between its side characters.
Miyamura and Hori’s relationship follows a tried-and-true trope but reinvents it. These two prove that opposites attract. At first, it seems like these two high schoolers would have never been compatible- Hori is a popular, bright girl while Miyamura seems like a geeky introvert. However, a chance encounter proves that there’s always more beneath the surface.
26 Komi Can’t Communicate
After its release, Komi Can’t Communicate quickly became one of Netflix’s most popular anime. It follows Shoko Komi, a high school girl with severe social anxiety. However, her classmates are completely unaware of her anxieties. Hitohito Tadano quickly picked up on her communication issues and vowed to help her achieve her goal of making 100 friends.
With dynamic storytelling and a lovable cast, fans fell in love with this high school anime for several reasons. Many fans feel that Komi gave them the representation they needed, while others appreciate the adorable slow-burn romance between Komi and Tadano.
25 My Dress-Up Darling
My Dress-Up Darling stars the lovably shy and loyal dandere Wakana Gojo, a high schooler who loves tailoring and hina dolls. Then, one fateful day, the cheerful genki girl Marin Kitagawa recruits him as her new personal tailor so she can take her cosplay to the next level.
What follows is a delightful high school romance that’s all about the magic of cosplay, opposites attacting, and soon, true love. Wakana will learn to express himself and his true feelings with these costumes, and Marin, in return, can’t help but fall for her helpful new friend and cosplay partner.
24 ReLIFE
Sometimes, adults might wonder what would happen if they could just do it all over again. Enter ReLIFE. In this 12-episode series, a frustrated job seeker named Arata Kaizaki meets a mysterious young man who offers him a pill to become ten years younger, and right back in high school.
It’s part of an experiment, and Arata dives right in. He learns a few life lessons along the way, and some of his classmates might have a few secrets of their own. Some of them just might be adults in teen form too, but perhaps for different reasons than him.
23 Angel Beats
This high school anime series may be set in a high school, but something is off about it. The male lead, Yuzuru Otonashi, ends up at an unfamiliar high school where a petite kuudere girl with angelic white hair is getting shot at, and he gets caught in the crossfire.
This high school is actually a sort of purgatory for students who died in real life with unresolved issues, and it turns out that Angel may not be the real problem after all. The characters have to look inward to find peace and move on.
22 Oresuki: Are You The Only One Who Loves Me?
Most high school anime is hilarious and exciting, and Oresuki is no exception. Anyone who thinks one love triangle is compelling is in for a treat. In Oresuki, the main character, Joro, is asked to speak privately with two different beautiful girls. He hopes that he’s about to get some love confessions.
Both girls are into his friend, Oga, and he hopes to date whichever girl Oga rejects. But the quiet library girl, Sumeriko, then confesses to Joro, and Oga is interested in Sumeriko. Things only get more complex from there.
21 My Hero Academia
My Hero Academia follows Izuku Midoriya, one of the few Quirkless individuals in a world where 80% of the population possesses a superpower. Izuku wants to become a hero like his idol, All Might, and enroll at U.A. High School. Constantly bullied by his peers and discouraged by doctors, Izuku never gave up and tried his hardest to become a hero even though he lacked a superpower.
A run-in with a villain leads Izuku to meet All Might, who passes his Quirk onto him and takes him under his wing as his mentor. From there, Izuku makes it into U.A. High and quickly learns that being a hero is much more complicated than he ever thought.
20 We Never Learn: BOKUBEN
This heartwarming high school anime has a roughly similar premise to The Quintessential Quintuplets, another popular high school anime. We Never Learn is also all about high school friendships, studying, and an entertaining harem, and even one of the teachers may get involved.
We Never Learn stars Nariyuki Yuiga, a humble but smart boy who becomes the private tutor for these three girls: Fumino, Rizu, and Uruka. Yuiga only meant to help them sharpen their academic skills, but he soon gets involved in a whole lot more than that.
19 *Aharen-San Is Indecipherable
Aharen-San is Indecipherable is an overlooked but simply delightful high school anime series that’s all about the kuudere archetype. The petite Reina Aharen is a friendly and helpful person, but no one can appreciate that fact because her voice is far too quiet to hear.
One day, Aharen’s kuudere classmate Raido takes notice of her, and they soon hit it off as quiet but loyal friends who understand one another. Raido and Aharen hardly even speak to each other; instead, they use video games, arcade games, and good as their mutual love language to make their affection known.
18 Kakegurui
Kakegurui has a thriller edge to it, and unlike many other high school anime, it’s not just a collection of slice-of-life hijinks. Instead, viewers visit an elite school where the students are the children of wealthy families and business owners and they’re enrolled to learn the ways of gambling.
These boys and girls are the smartest, most cunning, and most daring high school students ever seen in anime, and some truly high-stakes poker, blackjack, and roulette all lie ahead. Protagonist Yumeko Jabami lives for gambling, and she’ll show everyone what reckless, unrestrained gambling really looks like.
17 After The Rain
On some levels, this short animated series is a romance between high schooler Akira Tachibana and her middle-aged, divorced boss, but that is just the start. After the Rain is actually a quietly uplifting series about healing and self-confidence.
Akira loves running track, but an unfortunate injury sidelined her, and she fell for her boss as a way to heal herself. Her boss and his young son cheered her up and gave her all their earnest support, and perhaps one day, Akira really will run like the wind again.
16 Nisekoi
Nisekoi is Romeo and Juliet in anime form, this time featuring the son and daughter of two rival crime families. On one side is Raku Ichijo, from a terrifying yakuza family, and on the other is Chitoge Kirisaka, from a mafia family. Chitoge moved to Japan for high school, transferring from the United States, and at once, her family and Raku’s arrange for them to meet.
Both young “lovers” are flabbergasted and don’t like being in the spotlight, but they try to at least put on appearances. Things get even messier when love rivals show up in force, and then there’s the mystery of which girl gave Raku the locket he now wears around his neck.
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