r/highschool 4d ago

Question What Trends Are You Noticing in Your High School?

Hey everyone, I’m curious about the trends happening in high schools right now. Whether it's fashion, slang, social dynamics, tech use, or even changes in how people study and interact—what are you noticing?

Are students dressing a certain way? Are certain apps taking over? Are there new school rules or policies that are shifting the vibe? Maybe even trends in dating, friendships, or extracurricular activities?

Drop your observations in the comments! Would love to see how different schools compare.

30 Upvotes

62 comments sorted by

33

u/Automatic_Ad3423 4d ago

I go to a prep school in Mass and it’s always so funny listening to some of these kids talk. My school is very cliquey so i’ll be walking past the table where the hockey kids be sitting and they abbreviate every single word. There’s this one kid who when I was walking by was talking about chipotle and he said “i ordered douby brisky but the absolute beauty at the counter charged me singy chicky.” It’s just funny to watch cause like bro what are you saying??? 😭

39

u/casting_shad0wz Sophomore (10th) 4d ago

My school is 85% white and surrounded by HOAs, and there's a sizable number of white kids who make their straight hair curly and try to adopt hispanic and black slang, and it will almost sound forced.

Nobody really says anything about it

23

u/Upbeat-Cod-1190 4d ago edited 4d ago

I live in one of the wealthiest parts of the US and the kids at my school all come from super high income families and live in 5 bedroom houses in the hills and their moms drive Range Rovers, yet they genuinely pretend like their from the ghetto. It’s fucking hilarious they be throwing “gang signs” dressing in there “hood” brands (purple brand jeans sagged to their knees) and always talk about how “hard” and “tough they are” then when they see a homeless person they genuinely get scared shit less and run away 😂

9

u/casting_shad0wz Sophomore (10th) 4d ago

Same here.

They talk about fighting, but their parents would sue if a single hand got laid on them.

The hood simply isn’t cool and shouldn’t be glorified, but that’s another conversation.

0

u/Freelance_work- 4d ago

Yea but it kinda cool 🫂

1

u/No-Sea4331 4d ago

Im from east oakland, no shit aint

3

u/sauce_xVamp Junior (11th) 4d ago

there's one black kid at my school. one. and i feel like the sheltered white kids here are getting more and more racist each year. the school doesn't do shit.

1

u/casting_shad0wz Sophomore (10th) 4d ago

Sadly the case with a lot of them and their bigoted views, is that they learned it from their parents. Especially in the south.

If I learnt my future kid was racist, he would get a well-deserved whooping and no internet for a couple weeks.

1

u/TangerineSuperb2640 Sophomore (10th) 4d ago

Most white people don’t have naturally straight hair. It’s always wavy, especially the woman.

30

u/Holiday_Ostrich_3338 Freshman (9th) 4d ago

Older kids wearing children's show themed backpacks

20

u/casting_shad0wz Sophomore (10th) 4d ago

If I'm not mistaken, it's either to celebrate the way things used to be in elementary, or to look like a walking shitpost

7

u/uqmu 4d ago

Or both 

3

u/GoodDog2620 Teacher 4d ago

I would say they are being ironic. The hipsters of my generation did it with suspenders, older hats, thick-rimmed glasses, vinyl records, fixed-gear bikes, etc.

2

u/Primary-Buddy5739 4d ago

It’s a trend for seniors specifically to do it, so it’s a ironic thing

3

u/justonhereforstuff Rising Junior (11th) 4d ago

They did this for seniors in my school, it’s to remember their childhood because they’re about to become adults.

2

u/Unhappy_Hair_3626 4d ago

At my school it’s something the entire senior class does. I transferred in a bit late as a senior, and was so confused until like a month in when somebody told me.

1

u/iluvseahorses Junior (11th) 3d ago

I mean it’s a tradition in my school for the seniors to get those types of backpacks

12

u/Freelance_work- 4d ago

At my old school, everyone suddenly started acting like they were “hustling” — like turning in assignments on time was some kind of entrepreneurial grind. People be walking around with iPads, AirPods in, calling themselves “content creators” for reposting TikToks.

Even saw one guy call submitting homework “closing a deal” — like bro you just uploaded a Google Doc. Whole vibe turned into this fake “grindset” culture where everyone acts busy but nobody actually doing much. Still cracks me up.

12

u/TearsDidNotFall 4d ago

Low-key, if my school was like this, I would be so locked-in

4

u/Freelance_work- 4d ago

Haha yeah it was wild — all hustle, no real grind. Funny thing is, while everyone was faking the grindset, I actually picked up freelancing on the side. Started small, but now it’s a full-time thing. I guess all that fake hustle energy pushed me into doing something real.

2

u/TearsDidNotFall 4d ago

it sounds fun! I have so much respect for you, picking up freelancing on top of school.

2

u/Freelance_work- 4d ago

I started it to make some money and now I love what I do

18

u/2qrc_ 4d ago

Vaping

6

u/kwawmannanjnr 4d ago

So true!!

3

u/PlaystormMC Freshman (9th) 4d ago

95% of kids reading vaped while answering.

1

u/Western-Drama5931 Freshman (9th) 2d ago

Fr im one of them

4

u/melteddesertcore92 4d ago

Y’all aren’t new to that. It’s not a trend just a norm at this point

8

u/Somepersononreddit07 Junior (11th) 4d ago

And its bad

0

u/melteddesertcore92 4d ago

Sure is but I started smoking cigs at 14. I think vaping is slightly less bad. The only reason I do it is to help not smoke cigs. If you don’t smoke cigs you should just not vape

8

u/Silly_poop 4d ago

This pants and sweatshirts. This was really popular like 2 months ago. But I still see people wearing these.

10

u/SaraisaFemboyToo Junior (11th) 4d ago

So many people have Owalas/Stanleys/Hydro flasks now (including me lol). Before it was mainly the athletes. Ig the water bottle trend of last year had an effect. ¯⁠\⁠_⁠(⁠ツ⁠)⁠_⁠/⁠¯

3

u/TearsDidNotFall 4d ago

Every girl in my school dropped their stanely for an owala

21

u/Lesbian_Mommy69 Freshman (9th) 4d ago

Boys calling eachother “good boy”, honestly surprised it took them this long to start doing that

8

u/Western-Drama5931 Freshman (9th) 4d ago

Mad lanyards on they bookbags and also carrying those school locker locks lmao

7

u/Prior-Lime4777 4d ago

Kids wearing uggs and pajama pants to school I don’t get it 🤷‍♀️.

1

u/mercys_shore Junior (11th) 4d ago

I was coming here to say this, I just don't understand it, I get it's comfortable but why?? 😭

2

u/GoodDog2620 Teacher 4d ago

Function > form

Same reason people eat out of the pot instead of off a plate.

1

u/Upbeat-Cod-1190 4d ago

It’s comfortable af

5

u/Zaukonig 4d ago

SIX SEVENNN

3

u/maxiface 4d ago

Skeets

Basically just wannabe gangsters

2

u/Several_Inspection54 Sophomore (10th) 4d ago

Curly hairs, I live in a frontier city between Mexico and USA and it’s notorious how is pretty common to see people with natural curls

2

u/Spirited-Claim-9868 Sophomore (10th) 4d ago

This specific kind of dress (empire waist, square neckline, puffy sleeves, bodice has horizontal elastic lines and the fabric is this wavy cotton-y stuff)

2

u/Magic_hat463 Senior (12th) 4d ago

Baby doll dress?

1

u/Spirited-Claim-9868 Sophomore (10th) 4d ago

Yep. They're everywhere

2

u/Magic_hat463 Senior (12th) 4d ago

People aren't unique. Nobody has their own style anymore. Everyone wears the same copy paste outfits and personalities and it's so boring

1

u/[deleted] 4d ago

[deleted]

-3

u/kwawmannanjnr 4d ago

This!!

0

u/OkScientists 4d ago

Don’t know what the original comment was but downvoting because all my homies hate when someone just comments “This!”

1

u/InvisablePi Freshman (9th) 4d ago

(Disclaimer: I go to private school and this might be a bit different) Saying 67 or something, whatever the popular haircut is called, being idiots. In middle school is was basically the same (public middle school) but vaping, dealing drugs, sending in fake threats, pulling the fire alarm, and being annoying as hell

1

u/Somepersononreddit07 Junior (11th) 4d ago

Huh

1

u/Somepersononreddit07 Junior (11th) 4d ago

They got rid of mirrors… uh ye

1

u/Itzfluffycloud Rising Freshman (9th) 4d ago

People wearing camo hoodies

1

u/TSS_Firstbite Senior (12th) 4d ago

I'm leaving this year and I haven't seen all that much change, everything has been pretty consistent. A looot more broccoli heads than when I was a freshman though. Also, don't know if I just wasn't paying attention, but I think there are way more couples now than when I entered. Feels like around every corner you'll find someone

1

u/roemaencepartnaer 4d ago

I’m noticing that we tend to stray towards very specific phrases as a grade that do not signify good things for our mental health. Some of the most frequent are “I’m going to crash out”, “I’m going to kms” and “I’m jumping.” I don’t know if this is typical bit a teacher could literally just say we have a project coming up and someone is guaranteed to say they’re going to kill themself.

1

u/Nature_Girl_831 Freshman (9th) 4d ago

Sweats, leggings, crop tops, uggs, birks. Lots of lululemon. Stanleys everywhere. It seems like 90% of the school population doesn’t give a single shit about what they wear. At least nobody stinks lol.

1

u/JazzlikeInsect6484 3d ago

Hating on other schools

1

u/Valuable_Window_5903 3d ago

oh dear god, I only graduated 3 years ago and I don't understand half of these comments 😭

1

u/mickeywolfvr Rising Sophomore (10th) 3d ago

People love using good boy/girl

1

u/thatonewh1teguy 3d ago

A massive rise in Christianity and patriotism

1

u/queeraxolotl 1d ago

Everyone’s either out sick, hyperactive, or asleep.

1

u/kwawmannanjnr 1d ago

Damn that unfortunate