The Ultimate High School Senior Year Bucket List: 56 Things To Do Before Graduation
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56 High School Senior Year Bucket List Ideas
Only a few more months until graduation! Senior year is an unforgettable experience full of lasts. You only get one senior year in high school so make the most of it with the ultimate high school senior year bucket list! I’ve included 56 fun ways to make memories during your last year of high school. (Scroll to the bottom to download the printable version)
1. Attend at least one sports game.
Not everyone is into sports and that’s ok! But everyone should go to at least one game in whichever sport their school has.
2. Write a thank you letter to your favorite high school teacher.
Teachers work so hard for little compensation, but they do it because they love the job. If you have a teacher that’s inspired you tell them! They will cherish that letter forever.
3. Try every kind of cafeteria food.
I dare you. No, not really lol, but I mean that would be quite the accomplishment!
4. Create a scrapbook of your favorite high school memories.
Don’t leave it up the yearbook staff to feature you when you can do it yourself! I mean, unless you’re on the yearbook staff then you can totally disregard this.
5. Go on a senior year trip.
There’s nothing like a senior year trip to help you explore the world and bond with your classmates!
6. Go to at least one chorus, orchestra, or band concert at your school.
If you’re not in any of these programs go see one performance and get an idea for what your classmates have spent their time perfecting.
7. Go to at least one theatre performance at your school.
You will not regret getting to see a theatrical performance put on by other students at your school. You might even see some of them in a different light after the performance.
8. Take a photo with your mascot.
Does this even need explaining? Go get this photo!
9. Dress up super fancy one day for class.
Just because you’re graduating doesn’t mean you’re too old to play dress up!
10. Organize or Participate in a Community Service Day or Blood Donation Day
Find a way to give back to your community before you graduate. There are so many options here… organize a cleanup, donate your time at a non-profit, get your graduating class to donate blood, feed the homeless. The options are endless. You can also add this to a college application letter.
11. Buy or make gifts for the janitors at your school.
They are cleaning up after everyone. Do I need to justify this?
12. Send a candy gram during Valentine’s Day to your friends.
This might be the last chance you have to send a friend a Valentine at school, so have some fun with it! If you can’t afford to order it, then make it and deliver it to the school office yourself for them to call out your friend’s name and deliver it.
13. Plan a senior photoshoot.
Yes, I know I’m a photographer saying get a senior photoshoot… but even if you don’t hire me I still want you to do it! How many times do you graduate high school? Exactly.
If you do want to see more senior photoshoots, you can check those out here.
14. Make a new friend.
How well do you know all your classmates? There might be some people that surprise you. Take a chance and try to get to know at least one person that you haven’t been around much.
15. Take a polaroid / instax image every day of your senior year
I know this one can be pricy. Especially if you don’t already have the camera! But you could also switch it up… like one a week or one a month and make it very intentional. There’s so much that you could capture of the daily life of being in high school that your senior photos can’t. Like you could photograph your locker, or your favorite teacher giving a lecture (albeit it will probably be loud and distracting… do that one at your own risk! lol), picture of everyone eating lunch in the cafeteria, or your favorite picnic table where you and your friends hang out, etc. Let your creativity guide you!
16. Watch only the best high school movies.
Listen, if you’re graduating high school and going out into the world, certain things are expected of you, but mostly getting some cultural references. Go brush up on some good high school movies from days past. Here’s a great list to get you started.
17. Decorate your high school parking spot with chalk.
Show your creative side with a larger scale parking lot art piece. Get your friends to decorate their spots and make a day of it!
18. Write a thank you note to your parents.
They’ve supported you, watched you struggle and overcome challenges, and fed you. Write them a meaningful letter and leave it for them before the graduation ceremony.
19. Plan a photoshoot with your besties.
I know, I know… here I go again with the photos, but listen you never know what the future holds. Have some fun with your friends in front of the camera one last time.
20. Write a letter to each of your friends.
Tell your friends how proud you are of them. Tell them how you’ll never tell about their crush. Whatever you want to include.. the sky’s the limit.
21. Volunteer to read to kids at a local elementary school.
Pick out your favorite children’s book and read it to a local elementary school. Maybe even your elementary school for the full circle effect.
22. Dance in your graduation robe.
Everyone should dance in their graduation robe! You’ve made it BBY!
23. Write a time capsule letter.
These are so fun. The sky is the limit here. Feel free to include some trinkets or photos you want to remember forever. Check out this link for more advice on what to write.
24. Go to a concert with friends.
There’s nothing quite like seeing your favorite musical artist with your best friends! Take it a step further and check out
25. Skip school for one day.
Look, I don’t want to get any flack for saying this, but senior skip day was a thing when I was in high school. Do not blame me, I will deny this post even exists. If you’re in Texas I have a great list of ideas for your senior ditch day!
26. Ride bikes to school.
Remember riding your bike everywhere? Be a kid again, before it’s too late, and ride your bike to school.
27. Explore your town’s history.
Investigate what you think you know about where you live. Challenge yourself to learn something new about where you live.
28. Breakfast with friends before school.
Drag yourself out of bed to have breakfast at your favorite spot with your friends!
29. Leave your name somewhere in school.
I will deny this to the bitter end, but hey if it gets found easily that’s on you.
30. Plan a senior campout.
Camping is such a fun bonding experience. Be responsible and go somewhere fun with great swimming spots and hiking trails. Check this website for some camping ideas in Texas.
31. Learn to cook at least 3 different meals
Learning how to cook is an essential skill you’ll need as you grow up and leave the nest. You may want to consider learning some easy dorm recipes as well while you’re at it. Having a few backups that are easy to make in the microwave can really save you if you don’t make it to the campus cafeteria before the food hall closes.
32. Thrift a whole outfit
Go to a local thrift store and build a whole new outfit! Bonus points if you can keep it below a certain number like all of it for less than $10.
33. Create, hide, or search for geocaches
Geocaching is so much fun and you can take it a step farther by creating some of your own with mementos from your senior year.
34. Create a playlist of all your favorite songs from high school and jam out
This, right here, will bring back so many memories! Keep it separate from your other favorites and have fun adding new songs throughout your senior year.
35. Host a ‘secret talent’ show
Gather a group and showcase all the random, weird talents that everyone has been hiding. Magic tricks, weird bird calls, or your ability to chug a soda in 3 seconds… no talent is too small. Don’t forget to tag me when you inevitably post the chaos on TikTok.
36. Go on a Late-Night Food Run in Your PJ’s
I’m talking full pajama get-up! Slippers, robe, the whole thing. Hit up a 24-hour diner or fast food joint for midnight pancakes or greasy fries. Pics or it didn’t happen.
37. Start a Silly Senior Year Superlative List
Not just the “Most Likely to Succeed” stuff… try categories like “Most Likely to Be a Crazy Cat Person” or “Best Accidental Hair Dye Job.” Make it ridiculous, make it memorable.
38. Organize a ‘Senior Year Survival Kit’ Exchange
Think white elephant, but each person makes a mini survival kit for senior year with stuff like energy drinks, stress toys, and even a gag gift or two. Because we all know this year is a rollercoaster.
39. Do a Massive Senior Year Playlist Exchange
Get a group together and swap playlists that remind you of high school. It’s like those burned CDs we used to give out… but, you know, 2025-style.
40. Pull off a senior prank that’s actually harmless
See my full list of prank ideas here! Not the “let’s destroy school property” kind, but something clever and creative. Like filling the hallways with balloons or putting googly eyes on every poster in the building. Have fun, and keep it classy.
41. Go “junk food hopping” for a night
Fast food road trip, anyone? Pick a few spots around town and grab one thing at each place—like fries at McDonald’s, tacos at Taco Bell, and a milkshake somewhere else. Make it a competition to find the best of each and head to your favorite park to judge.
42. Host a senior-year “Karaoke Night” with your friends
Rent a karaoke machine or just use YouTube—belt out your favorite throwbacks and current hits until someone loses their voice (or the neighbors complain).
43. Plant a tree, flower, or something that’ll grow over time
A little symbolic, right? Plant it somewhere meaningful, and maybe one day you’ll come back to see how much it (and you) have grown.
44. Host a goodbye party, but make it ‘Roast the Senior’ style
Let your friends roast you, then roast them back. Wrap it up with sentimental goodbyes so no one actually ends up crying (at least until they get home).
45. Have a “Reverse Prom”…The wildest, tackiest, least-coordinated outfits win
Forget the stress of looking perfect. Show up in clashing colors, awkward throwback outfits, or even an old Halloween costume and just own it. Then have a dance-off for best (worst?) dressed.
46. Get a Tarot or Palm Reading
Wanna find out what’s going to happen after senior year? Schedule a tarot reading or a palm reading with your friends!
47. Make A Hear Me Out Cake
I am absolutely obsessed with this trend and it would be such a fun keepsake video or photos with you and your friends (even if it’s not shared publicly). Who knows how much it will change next year or five years from now.
48. Start A Senior Year Podcast
Listen, you don’t need anything fancy… just grab your friends and hit record. Talk about literally anything… hallway drama, cafeteria conspiracy theories, senior superlatives, your most unhinged “hot takes,” whatever. Read more about how to start a senior year podcast here. It’s basically a time capsule you can laugh at later when you realize half your inside jokes don’t even make sense anymore. Bonus: make it a group project and let everyone take turns hosting like you’re running the world’s worst/best talk show.
49. Learn How To Fold A Note
Here in Texas, cell phones have been legally banned in schools, which means passing notes is about to be back in style. Google some videos and find some fun ways to write and pass notes to your friends since you can’t text. Also, be sure you don’t write anything that you wouldn’t be ok with the whole class hearing. Definitely use code names too!
50. Create A Junk Journal
A junk journal is like the cooler, artsier cousin of a scrapbook. Whereas a scrapbook feels a bit more focused on photos, a junk journal can encapsulate so much more. Think layered pages with washi tape, stickers, magazine clippings, and handwritten notes… all mixed in with actual keepsakes from senior year. It can be totally chaotic or super aesthetic (your choice), but the fun is in making it your own. Toss in ticket stubs, Polaroids, doodles, random quotes from your friends, or even papers like your schedule or the cafeteria calendar. By the end, you’ll have this messy-beautiful time capsule that screams “senior year, but make it cute. My only warning for this is that it can be easy to feel like you need to go buy tons of cute aesthetic things to make it, but you don’t, I promise!
51. Run For Student Council… But On A Ridiculous Platform
Here’s your chance to officially wreak havoc while technically “being responsible.” Forget sensible campaign promises. This is senior year, anything goes! Imagine giving a speech about having emotional support goats in the courtyard during finals week, or declaring that graduation gowns will be replaced with superhero capes because, honestly, everyone deserves to feel like a hero for surviving high school. The goal? To win. Because if you actually pull it off, the entire school will be talking, laughing, and questioning how they ever underestimated you… not to mention it would look great on a transcript.
52. Get Detention For The Most Harmless Activity
Let’s be real… did you even have a proper high school experience if you never spent at least one awkward hour in detention? The trick is to do something so minor it’s almost laughable: chewing gum, humming too loudly, doodling on the chalkboard, or wearing socks that “don’t match dress code” (because apparently that’s a thing). Nothing destructive, nothing mean… just enough to earn a tiny official “oops” on your record and a story your friends will never let you forget.
53. Create A Senior Year Epitaph
Senior year is your last year of high school so why not write it it’s own epitaph? Write something that sums up your “legendary” time in high school. Keep it dramatic, absurd, and totally memorable. Think along the lines of: “Here rests Casey: Legend of the senior skip day, undefeated in hallway sprints,” or “Gone but not forgotten: Sam, who heroically napped through 3 periods, once turned in homework,” or even “Rest in pieces: Morgan, who boldly wore socks with sandals and lived to tell the tale.” Short, cheeky, and entirely worthy of a headstone for your senior year.
54. Ask Out Your Crush
Senior year is basically your final exam in high school bravery, and asking out your crush is the ultimate pop quiz. There’s no next year to “maybe try again,” so go for it—text, slip them a note, or just blurt it out in the hallway. Awkward? Probably. Hilarious? Definitely. Worth it? Absolutely. Even if they say no, at least you’ll have the story that screams, “I survived senior year, and I went for it.”
55. Write A Senior Year Journal
Senior year can fly by so fast that everything blurs together. A journal is your excuse to pause and notice the little things. Whether that be a gratitude journal like noticing a friend who made you laugh, surviving a brutal exam, or a moment that just felt right, or just a regular self reflection journal (you can find my prompts for that one here). Science even backs it! Regularly acknowledging what you’re grateful for and writing about your feelings can lift your mood, lower stress, and make the whirlwind of senior year feel a bit more manageable. Quick, simple, and surprisingly restorative.
56. Throw Your Cap At Graduation
Yes, they probably told you not to do this. And yes, it’s technically “against the rules.” But come on… how often do you graduate high school? Make it memorable: write your name inside your cap (for obvious lice reasons), gather your friends, and launch that thing like a tiny, tassel-topped rocket. It’s messy, ridiculous, and kind of glorious… the perfect last-minute dare to seal your senior year with style.
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