Best School Anime

Bombing the trigonometry final, taking a dodgeball to the face, realizing one’s crush is infatuated with the quarterback — experiences like these can sour students towards school. Yet for all the stress that it can bring, school can be magical. It has its glorious moments: making friends, nailing classwork that once seemed impossible, and summoning the courage to step out on stage and be the best Hamlet that 200-person auditorium has ever seen. That makes it all worth it.

Whether elementary, high school, or college, the schools in these anime become breeding grounds for new experiences. They draw shy characters out of their shells, test the mettle of the bravest jocks, and once in a while even force fierce rivals to consider becoming friends.

Updated December 17, 2024, by Mark Sammut: The Fall 2024 season is nearly over, and one of its school-related anime warrants a special mention among the best-ever series with this setting.

Also, Winter 2025 is right around the corner. While still too early to predict which will be the best school anime, the following shows are candidates:

• Honey Lemon Soda
• I’m Getting Married to a Girl I Hate in My Class
• Medaka Kuroiwa is Impervious to My Charms
• Flower and Asura

30 The Dangers in My Heart

A Boy And A Girl Meet In A School Library

Romance anime are fairly common, so newcomers must be truly special to stand out from the crowd. While starting relatively slowly, The Dangers in My Heart builds momentum throughout its first season, culminating in a strong conclusion that perfectly sets up a fantastic sequel. Ichikawa is a loner with some rather dark fantasies, most of which revolve around his popular classmate named Anna. However, one day, he stumbles across the model as she is eating in the library, a meeting that sets the stage for a beautiful friendship that eventually morphs into something more.

Initially, The Dangers in My Heart might seem to be just another basic wish-fulfillment fantasy about an average guy who, for some reason, attracts the attention of the school idol. Fortunately, the anime proves to be much more than just that, with both Ichikawa and Anna being three-dimensional figures with well-defined fears, passions, and depth.

29 Dandadan

Romance, Aliens, And Ghosts

Dandadan is everything. Want romance? Watch it. Want comedy? Watch it. Want action? Watch it. Want creative monster designs that take inspiration from sci-fi and mythology? Watch it. It is all-around brilliant and an easy recommendation for nearly everyone. That said, describing it as a full “school anime” seems a bit incorrect. For one, the characters often wear clothes besides their school uniforms, which must be an automatic disqualification.

In all seriousness, Dandadan spends a fair amount of time at Momo and Ken’s high school, with some of the most important moments happening inside the building. The lovable protagonists not only meet at school but their blossoming friendship is also echoed by their interactions with other students. Dandadan might not be a traditional school anime, but it is one of the best anime that occasionally takes place in a school.

28 Toradora

Easy To Get Invested In

In a rollercoaster ride of love, hate, and emotional growth, Toradora is an excellent slice-of-life slash romance anime for both hard-core fans and newcomers to those genres. Ryuuji, a misunderstood loner with a bad reputation, begins to butt heads with the famous pipsqueak ruffian Taiga, known as the palmtop tiger.

What starts as a charged rivalry quickly turns into a loyal friendship, and then more. Ryuuji discovers more about himself while Taiga learns to handle her emotions better. Toradora has laughs, cries, and some of the best character storylines in anime, and is well worth the watch.

A High Octane Collection Of Genres

Full Metal Panic! will have watchers scratching their heads at exactly what this anime is about. Mixed with a hodgepodge of genres from mecha to slice-of-life, Full Metal Panic! can give viewers a bit of whiplash. The spin-off series Full Metal Panic? Fumoffu! is just as wild a ride, with more variety in the story.

The main characters are Chidori Kaname, a secret military asset attending high school; and Sousuke Sagara, a highly trained soldier ordered to protect her at all costs. The daily lives of these two are unpredictable. Sosuke can not turn his lethal prowess off against average everyday students, and Chidori can’t have a normal high school day to save her life.

26 Irregular At Magic High School

Magic Makes High School That Much Weirder

In a world where magic is used for everything from cleaning to military operations, there are schools that seek to groom and nurture the innate magical power of young students. In the first magic school, Tatsuya Shiba is an enigmatic loner who finds himself constantly enthralled in the social-political climate of his peers.

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Having a high skill of magic and a mystery skill, Tatsuya quickly becomes the talk of the town when he’s thrust into the spotlight. However, he must make sure that his new-found popularity does not expose his after-hour activities. Irregular at Magic High School is also set to get a sequel this year.

25 Hyouka

The Bonds Of True Friendship

Oreki has very little interest in being noticed as he’s starting his freshman year in high school. He tries to keep to himself, lives an ordinary, mundane life, and saves his energy for his later years.

This plan is completely thrown off the rails when his sister drags him into saving the Classic Club which places him among the group’s small roster where spontaneous and overzealous adventures ensue and change Oreki’s view.

24 My Teen Romantic Comedy Snafu

How A Hopeless Loner Finds A Place To Belong

Hikigfaya is a typical loner who has little interest in people or things that he believes conform to societal norms. Having a very harsh worldview that states that love and friendship are fabrications that people full of themselves believe in, he spends most of his time alone and avoids any type of social interaction possible.

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However, Hikigaya’s world is flipped upside down when he is reprimanded for writing an insensitive essay that lands him as the newest member of the Volunteer Service Club. Hikigaya is overwhelmed with a number of new responsibilities and a new social life he didn’t ask for. My Teen Romantic Comedy Sanfu is a true diamond in the rough that will wow many slice-of-life anime fans.

23 Kakegurui

A High-Stakes School Anime

Hyakkao Private Academy is a highly esteemed school for the best and brightest in the country on the surface, but behind closed doors, it is a separate world of debauchery and addiction. With the entire student body dominated by gambling which shapes the hierarchy, students sometimes bet their freedom in order to climb the social ranks.

The established order is threatened when Yumeko Jabami, a seemingly innocent new student shakes things up with her lust for playing against high stakes and dethroning the top brass among the debt-filled hallways of the school.

22 Mashle: Magic And Muscle

A Muscle-Brain Heads To A Magic School

Mashle successfully rides the Harry Potter wave by gifting viewers with a hilarious anime parody of the renowned Wizarding World. Mash’s goal of becoming Easton Magic Academy’s next Chosen One seems impossible, considering the boy doesn’t have a magical bone in his body. However, he somehow makes up for this with pure, brute strength, hand-delivered by his incredibly muscular physique.

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Mash’s hilarious adventures at the Hogwarts-inspired establishment are fueled by cream puffs, friendship, and not much in-depth thinking. Basically, if One Punch Man’s Saitama swapped places with Harry Potter, what would that anime school life look like exactly? Well, Mash has the answer.

21 A Silent Voice

A Beautiful Story Of Growth

Arguably the best school anime of all time (especially if viewers are looking for a tearjerker) follows the heartbreaking tale of two kids dealing with the traumas of their past. Shōya Ishida is not a bad apple per se, but he gets caught up in the hype of trying to fit in and mercilessly bullies the new deaf transfer student alongside his ruthless classmates. Unfortunately, he takes things way too far and causes Shōko to transfer schools, while Shōya is harshly cast aside by his peers.

Overwhelmed with shame, regret, and rejection, Shōya decides to take his own life, but fate has other plans in store. After miraculously reuniting with Shōko, the melancholic young man turns all his energy towards redemption but learns the hard way that actions are more powerful than words.

20 Tomo-Chan Is a Girl!

Awkward Romance At Its Finest

This redheaded rough-houser is so far from complying with gender-specific social norms that most people mistake Tomo-chan for a boy. While this has never really bothered her, now that those dreaded hormones have kicked in, Tomo is crushing hard on her childhood bestie. The problem is that he thinks of Tomo as “one of the guys,” and fails to notice her infatuation with him.

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Tomo follows some misguided advice and endeavors to emphasize her so-called femininity and is met with one uncomfortable disaster after another. Meanwhile, her status at school is steadily on the rise, as Tomo gathers plenty of admirers, boys and girls alike, satisfying those LGBTQ+ tastebuds in the process.

19 Komi Can’t Communicate

Cute And Homey Slice-Of-Life

Many high school anime series explore the romantic comedy genre; however, Komi brings something truly unique to the table. This main protagonist rarely utters a word, and yet still manages to steal everyone’s heart. She is the undisputed Class Goddess of Itan Private High School.

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Considering her dazzling beauty, most assume that Komi is the coolest, most confident kid around. Only one person pays enough attention and uncovers the turmoil within. Tadano realizes that poor Komi is battling with crippling social anxiety and is overwhelmed by constant panic attacks. With compassion and grace, he figures out a way to communicate with the selectively mute girl and helps Komi live her best life with fun, friends, and a few flirtations.

18 Classroom Of The Elite

A Cold, Calculating Main Character

Ayanokoji doesn’t have a care in the world. And yet, his cold disinterest in pretty much everything, combined with his genius intellect, turns him into a top contender at Koudo Ikusei Senior High School, without so much as breaking a sweat.

This prestigious Academy redefines the term “elite,” as it homes some of the wealthiest students in anime history (besides, perhaps the Kakegurui kids.) Ayanokoji and his fellow scholars are pitted against each other with the most random assortment of tests, that seems more focused on the youngsters’ manipulation abilities than actual academics (not that anyone’s complaining). With such staggering financial incentives, they certainly are a motivated bunch, and most characters are more than willing to stab a few backs along the way. Refreshingly, Ayanokoji is not an exception.

17 ReLIFE

A Second Chance At Youth

Even a person who has lived life to the fullest is likely to have their share of regrets about mistakes made and opportunities missed. The protagonist of ReLIFE has more than his share, having lived 27 years without having any accomplishments or relationships to be proud of. Kaizaki would do anything for a second chance to get things right.

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That chance unexpectedly comes along when Kaizaki gets an unusual job offer: test a new medication that makes the patient look like their younger self again. Kaizaki jumps at the chance and returns to high school. ReLIFE is a surprisingly sympathetic and heartfelt anime about trying to get things right, and while its premise could’ve easily gone astray, the writing keeps things mostly grounded throughout.

16 The Melancholy Of Haruhi Suzumiya

A Deep Story Under The Surface

Kyon, a student at North High School, has given up his fascination with the supernatural. His fascination is awoken again, however, by Haruhi, a classmate with a fixation on time travelers, aliens, and other otherworldly and supernatural figures. The two established a club called the SOS Brigade to investigate these strange phenomena.

Using the school club trope as a jumping-off point, The Melancholy of Haruhi Suzumiya actually has some pleasant twists that keep it from being more of the same old thing. The true identity of those around Kyon and Haruhi, as well as secrets about Haruhi herself, help build the show’s world in interesting directions.

15 From Me To You

Wonderful Coming-Of-Age Story

15-year-old high school freshman Sawako Kuronuma has always struggled to make friends because she looks like the villainous Sadako from The Ring horror franchise. Others brand her with that cruel nickname and shy away from her, not giving the timid girl a chance to how sweet she is.

When Sawako meets Shouta, the most outgoing and popular boy in class, she is immediately drawn to his kindness and ability to be the center of attention. The romance that flourishes between the two is delicately and beautifully portrayed. From Me to You succeeds as much in its depiction of young love as it does with Sawako’s emotional evolution as she grows closer to other students in this exquisite slice-of-life anime.

14 Monthly Girls’ Nozaki-Kun

Light-Hearted Romance

Chiyo has a crush, and it seems too good to be true when she learns that her crush Nozaki is a famous artist who wants to use their relationship as inspiration for his romantic manga. After a series of misunderstandings, Chiyo winds up as Nozaki’s manga assistant, working side by side to help him in the hope that he will one day appreciate the depth of her feelings.

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It might not have the most breathtaking visuals, but Monthly Girls’ Nozaki-kun is a funny, self-aware anime. It doesn’t rely on fanservice to attract viewers and doesn’t use cheap plot gimmicks to keep them.

13 The Disastrous Life Of Saiki K.

The Powerful & The Silly

Being the world’s most powerful esper is hard, especially when surrounded by classmates who just scream “quirky.” Saiki can do pretty much anything that he puts his mind to, but he mostly just wants to keep a low profile and lead a quiet life. Unfortunately, he has an innate ability to attract the weirdest and loudest people around, all of whom refuse to leave him alone.

The Disastrous Life of Saiki K. is a sketch-based comedy that originally started with 5-minute episodes before eventually being spliced together into more traditional chapters. While mostly sticking to a similar routine, the anime is constantly and reliably hilarious, with Saiki being one of the best straight characters in an anime comedy. The rest of the students are all great and memorable.

12 Angel Beats!

Heart-Wrenching Adventures

Some high schools are more unconventional than others, such as the afterlife high school in Angel Beats! proves. 13-year-old Otonashi dies, loses all memories of his life, and arrives in the afterlife only to be immediately enrolled in high school.

Things get even more complicated for Otonashi when a girl named Yuri invites him into the Afterlife Battlefront. She leads this organization in battle against Angel, the student council president, a girl with magical powers. The story is all over the place, and its short 13-episode run leaves some plots unresolved, but Angel Beats! is a fun romp through a very different kind of school, a significant departure from most offerings of the genre.

11 Nichijou – My Ordinary Life

Hilarious And Random Comedy

Even with the best teachers, classes, and cafeteria food, school can be a miserable experience without friends. Nichijou is about the lives of three high school friends, Mio, Yuuko, and Mai, whose lives become entangled with an eccentric trio: the young genius Hakase, her talking cat Sakamoto, and Hakase’s robot caretaker Nano.

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The action veers from pedestrian activities (joking with friends on the walk to school) to the surreal (watching the principal suplex a deer in the school courtyard). When Nichijou gets weird, it gets very weird. It’s for the best because most of the best moments come when the series dives into the surreal.