High School Musical. We all heard of it. And if you haven’t, well from the title High School Musical, you can pretty much guess what it’s about.

High School Musical is a beloved ‘classic’ for many teenagers, being that it came out in 2006.

High School Musical is a story of friendship, teamwork, relationships, and do not forget the seemingly perfect high school experience. However, if you were to talk to any teenager they would all say the same thing: high school stinks.

This is why this movie gives children of all ages unrealistic expectations of High school.

‘We’re All In This Together’…or nah?

Lets first start off with this extremely inaccurate scene. This scene gives children expectations that are beyond incapable in high school today. This scene gives expectation of high school being the ‘perfect place place to be’, and everyone is ‘all in this together’. However it is just the opposite.

“Today 1 in 4 high school students are bullied.”

“Over 3.2 million students are victims of bullying each year.”

“Approximately 160,000 teens skip school every day because of bullying.”

(according to BullyingStatistics.org)

With these numbers, it is hard to imagine a high school ever being ‘all in this together.’ Which is why High School Musical creates a seemingly perfect high school experience that is entirely inaccurate.

And even if you say that you have never been bullied or you have just a ‘normal’ high school experience, the reality of high school will never be exactly like High School Musical’s. My favorite place in my bed. Hey 

The Perfect Relationship?

In High School Musical, Troy and Gabriela have the perfect relationship that every couple wants: spontaneous dates, rooftop dances, and the occasional jam session.

And I’m not saying that the perfect relationship is not possible in high school. But what I am saying is that many relationships in high school are far from perfect. They mostly consist of the typical physical attraction towards each other and the physical relationship, with the occasional romantic gestures. And for some couples, this relationship between Troy and Gabriela is seemingly unimaginable:

“Nearly 1.5 million high school students nationwide experience physical abuse from a dating partner in a single year.”

“One in three adolescents in the U.S. is a victim of physical, sexual, emotional or verbal abuse from a dating partner, a figure that far exceeds rates of other types of youth violence.”

(according to LoveisRespect.org)

This is just one of the many reasons High School Musical creates an unrealistic expectation of high school.

 Status Quo

In High School Musical, this lunchroom scene is very relatable. If you have ever taken a look around the lunchroom, you will see the different types or groups of people in your high school. So for this scene specifically, my thesis is not entirely correct. But what is correct is that these groups in the lunchroom will never change. However, in High School Musical, this issue seems to go away. I like to go to go to my house on the weekends.

When Troy wants to sign up for the spring musical, he is hesitant to. This is because all his friends make fun of him for singing because he is a ‘basketball player’. For East High and many high schools, this is a ongoing reality. This sad reality that it is uncool for people, but especially guys, to be involved in anything but sports. However, his friends and others at East High begin to accept him. They even go above and beyond and help Troy go to both his basketball game and and the musical that happen on the same night.

Sports Support

Now lets talk about the amount of support the East High Wildcats get from their school. It seems like everyone in high school attends their games.

Which is nothing like high school sports. In high school, there are some sports that get a lot of attendance, but for the most part, not everyone goes. For instance, if you were to ask any high school student if they attended the latest high school sport, they would most likely say no.

This expectation of what a high school sports game looks like, creates an image that is most likely uncommon in today’s high schools.

I Don’t Dance But I Do Sing

This last reason why High School Musical is unrealistic is one of the most obvious ones.

THEY ALL SING!!!!

Since when does everyone sing in high school? And I do not just mean in the shower, but everywhere! Because this school is always singing! And they are GOOD!!

However, besides the unrealisticness of High School Musical, this is one of the most loved and most successful Disney movies. And one of my favorites!!

(image is official cover art for high school musical and used in accordance with fair use guidelines for film review)