Get ready for a wild ride through the archives of school pranks!
From glue-sealed doors to a mariachi band takeover, these 15 scandalous school pranks have left their mark in history.
Some led to suspensions, while others garnered praise.
Join us as we explore the audacious antics of students who sought to make their school days unforgettable.
Locking the doors with glue at Royal High School in 2013.
Two senior students thought it would be a fun idea to use industrial-strength glue to seal all the classroom doors in their school shut.
What started as a fun idea put them in a sticky situation, as the school was so upset that they suspended the students for the rest of the academic year.
Bringing a mariachi band to Santa Barbara High School in 2014.
Senior students at the Californian high school hired the four-person band to follow their principal and play music all day.
While that doesn’t sound too bad, imagine a band blasting music at you all day, starting at 7:30 a.m.!
Greasing doorknobs with Vaseline and peeing in the hallway at Teaneck High School in 2014.
More than sixty students descended upon the school late at night with one goal: to cause as much chaos as possible.
However, things didn’t go quite as planned, as the school’s security alarm tipped local police off.
In the end, sixty-two students were rounded up and arrested, with those old enough being charged with burglary and mischief.
Releasing 72,000 ladybugs at Chopiticon High School in 2015.
The seven students responsible for the prank headed to the Maryland school early before classes to release the ladybugs.
Only five students actually entered the school, though, while the other two just waited in the car. Regardless, all of them were punished.
Four students were underaged, and three were adults – the former received less severe punishments.
Vandalizing Lawrence Central High School in 2015.
Eleven students, one a graduate and one from a different high school, broke into the Indiana high school at midnight.
Before being caught, they vandalized the school with spray paint, toilet paper, and baby powder.
Although the seniors who participated in this prank didn’t get to go to their graduation ceremony, at least they weren’t arrested or expelled!
Releasing chickens at Lincoln County High School in 2015.
The seven students forced their way into the school in Georgia early in the morning for their feathery prank. But instead of surprising everyone, they were the ones in for a shock as they set off the school’s alarm.
All students involved were suspended and dealt charges for property damage and trespassing. Six were also banned from attending their graduation ceremony.
Faking a car crash at Cumberland High School in 2018.
The cops were called to the Wisconsin school to attend what appeared at first to be a car crash at the principal’s office.
In reality, the students had covered part of a wall with a black tarp to give the appearance of a gaping hole and placed an old, beat-up car in front of it.
With the addition of some bricks, dust, and other trickery, it was a pretty convincing prank!
Instead of getting angry at the seniors who did it, the police actually complimented them, stating on Facebook that it was a great prank – especially as it caused no damage!
Riding a dirt bike at Roxbury High School in 2018.
In one of the less imaginative pranks, a senior student drove a dirt bike through the New Jersey school’s hallway, yelling, “Senior prank!”
Unfortunately, one student was hit by the bike’s handlebar, causing a minor injury. The prankster was eventually arrested, even getting handcuffed, due to his actions.
Piling up the hallway with school desks at Gladstone High School in 2019.
Forty-four students were caught on camera performing one of the less offensive pranks on this list.
They started the senior prank early in the morning, moving hundreds of desks outside their classrooms and replacing whiteboard erasers with hotdogs.
After some consideration, the Oregon school eventually allowed the students to participate in their graduation.
They did, however, get punished for it, with each student paying $44.75 to cover the cleaning expenses.
Frying electrical outlets at Westford Academy in 2020.
This dangerous prank was done by placing a coin between the metal prongs of a partially plugged-in phone charger.
The entire school was evacuated, and over $700 of damage was caused. While the students did show remorse, they were charged with property destruction.
Sadly, the Massachusetts school wasn’t the only victim of this not-so-harmless prank. It turned out that it was a TikTok challenge, with a number of other students around the state jumping on the bandwagon.
Hacking the screens at the Township High School District 214 in 2021.
All the TV screens and classroom projectors sprang to life across six schools in Illinois on April 30.
After displaying an ominous five-minute countdown, every single screen was graced with an image of Rick Astley.
Yep, these pranksters performed one of the greatest rickrolls of all time, surprising students and teachers alike with Astley’s iconic “Never Gonna Give You Up.”
The three students walked away without any disciplinary action as they wrote a 26-page report on improving the school’s cybersecurity.
Covering walls with sticky notes as a senior prank turned into chaos at Frisco Memorial High School in 2022.
Students at the Texas school were given approval to decorate the campus with sticky notes, under supervision, for their graduation prank. It wasn’t long until it turned to chaos, though.
Events escalated, and before anyone knew what was going on, fire extinguishers were being let off, walls were painted, and the school was totally trashed.
The remaining two days of the school year were canceled as the entire school required cleaning – all at the cost of the students, of course.
Sleeping Over at St. Andrews School Principal’s House in 2023.
The entire senior class of this Delaware boarding school participated in this wholesome prank.
They were able to sneak in at night thanks to the principal’s husband, who left the front door unlocked.
Unlike most senior pranks, this didn’t end with the target being angry. After the initial shock, the principal was delighted to see the students and even greeted them with “Good morning!”
Releasing fart spray at Caney Creek High School in 2023.
Two students were responsible for pranking their school, which resulted in the evacuation of students for what was first thought of as a gas leak.
Sadly, some students were hospitalized due to headaches and nausea. The fart spray was considered a “chemical dispensing device,” which led to the arrest of the students responsible for the prank.
Despite the prank’s innocence, the students were charged with a third-degree felony and only released after paying a $3,000 bail. Talk about extreme measures!
Posting Meade Senior High School for sale on a real estate website in 2023.
The Maryland high school was listed for sale on Zillow, a real estate platform, for a meager $42,000.
In addition to listing it for an outrageously low price, the students filled the description with attacks on the school’s infrastructure, describing it as a “half-working jail” with 15 bathrooms with “sewage issues.”
School pranks have been a tradition for a long time, especially for seniors. But as much as possible, these pranks should be harmless. Otherwise, you can get fined or even arrested.
Some pranksters even take it up a notch and use technology for their pranks, trolling not only one school but an entire school district!
Now, people have polarizing opinions about school pranks. Some find it disrespectful, while others share a laugh. This begs the question: Which side are you on?
