School movies for every age

Ages 3–6

High School Musical (2006)
Chances are you’ve already watched the made-for-TV flick with your tykes—more than once. (For the uninitiated: Sweethearts Troy and Gabriella navigate high school while putting on a show with their pals.) The G-rated material is appropriate for even small children, and Zac Efron makes a squeaky-clean role model.

School House Rock
Its collection of catchy 1970s and ’80s songs makes School House Rock accessible even to preschoolers. The lessons in grammar, science, math and history may seem less than useful to kids of such a young age, but when your tot starts learning about American government down the road, the “I’m Just a Bill” ditty could make him the most progressive student in class.

Scooby-Doo and the Ghoul School (1988)
Shaggy, Scooby and Scrappy get jobs working at a school for girls, but the students are extraordinary beyond their abilities in the classroom. This timeless cartoon will thrill the preschool set.

Ages 7–9

Akeelah and the Bee (2006)
Laurence Fishburne and Angela Bassett star in this tale of an inner-city girl with a knack for spelling. Despite her fear of being labeled a brainiac, Akeelah fights to compete in the Scripps National Spelling Bee. Although the plot follows a predictable “underdog prevails” arc, the lessons are heartfelt rather than cheesy.

Freaky Friday (1977)
Your sprouts may already be familiar with the 2003 Lindsay Lohan–Jamie Lee Curtis remake, but we old-timers prefer the original version of this flick in which a mom and daughter switch personalities. Jodie Foster charms in her role as the responsible adult, and youngsters should get a kick out of watching Barbara Harris weather marching band practice and other challenges.

Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone (2001)
In the series’s first installment, Harry and his friends at the Hogwarts Academy embark on eye-popping adventures that’ll have kids itching to head off to school—if only to escape from family supervision. Plus, who wouldn’t want to go supply shopping after seeing the young wizards pick out their owls and wands in Diagon Alley?

Ages 10–13

Back to the Future (1985)
An oldie but a goodie, Back to the Future reminds children that their parents were once kids, too. Watching Marty McFly take on bullies and school politics in two different eras shows kids the universality of some of life’s bummers. Sure, the special effects are dated, but a 1981 DeLorean never looked so cool.

Napoleon Dynamite (2004)
Instead of figuring out ways to be popular, alienated teenager Napoleon just wants to spend time with his two friends, Pedro and Deb. With its lack of profanity and gentle lesson—don’t be afraid to be yourself—the indie hit is a welcome antidote to violent action flicks.

The School of Rock (2003)
Jack Black’s portrayal of fake substitute teacher Dewey Finn will have middle-schoolers and adults laughing out loud. When Black uses the students to weasel his way into a rock-band competition, he learns that there are more important things in life than fame and fortune. (Some parents might object to Black’s crude humor.)

Parents only

Five movies that may remind you of your own misadventures in school:

-The Breakfast Club (1985)
-Back to School (1986)
-Fast Times at Ridgemont High (1982)
-Heathers (1989)
-Old School (2003)