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On school spirit days, students and staff are encouraged to show school pride by participating in assorted themed activities. Typically, school spirit days or weeks coincide with other events—Homecoming, pep rallies, holidays, etc. At the high school level, school spirit activities are often organized by student leaders. Read on for 85 school spirit ideas!

85 School Spirit Ideas for High School

Jump to your favorite school spirit category:

• Classic & Simple
• Character & Costume
• Themed Dress-Up
• Competitions & Challenges
• Community & Volunteer
• Performances & Showcases
• Artsy & Creative
• Mindfulness & Connection
• Large-Scale Events

Classic & Simple School Spirit Ideas

One note: Dressing up is cool, but . Some popular School Spirit Days (Western, Crazy Hair Day, etc.) should be handled with care or skipped entirely to avoid participants acting in ways that are exploitative or perpetuate harmful stereotypes.

1) School Swag or School Colors Day – Obvious? Yes. Still a winning idea? Yes.

2) Pajama Day – A comfy way to show school spirit.

3) Hat Day — Easy and always popular, especially since most school dress codes prohibit hats.

4) Backwards or Inside Out Day – Wear your clothes backward or inside out.

5) Tie-Dye Day – Could be paired with a tie-dye activity!

6) Patterns Day – Plaid, gingham, stripes—wear ‘em all, wear ‘em all at once.

7) Ugly Sweater Day – Tried and true.

8) Sports Fan Day – Rep your favorite team or player with jerseys, shirts, and other gear.

9) Animal Print Day – Leopard print, cow print, zebra print…have a wild time!

10) Metallics Day – Silver and gold, silver and gold….

11) Wacky Sock Day – Knee-high socks, socks with sandals, toe socks…the foot’s the limit!

12) Primary Colors Day – Head-to-toe red, blue, and yellow.

13) Neon Day – All highlighter shades welcome.

14) Camouflage Day – Students without camo gear can don earth tones and still participate.

15) Flannel Day – Easy and fun, plus practical for winter!

16) Flip-Flops Day – As with Hat Day, this is fun and freeing, particularly if your school’s dress code typically prohibits flip-flops.

17) Hawaiian Shirt Day – The tackier the better!

18) College Day – Rep the school you plan or hope to attend, or else support your favorite college team or your local college.

19) Rainbow Day – Dress in your boldest and brightest colors from head to toe. Don’t forget to take some group photos!

Character & Costume School Spirit Ideas

20) Superhero Day – Students can either select their favorite or else invent their own.

21) Book Day – Dress up like your favorite literary character.

22) Movie Day – Dress up like your favorite movie character.

23) Fictional Character Day – Book or movie character days too limiting? Broaden it to include any fictional character, including video game characters.

24) Music or Musician Day – Dress up as your favorite musician or rock a concert t-shirt.

25) Mythology Day — Dress up as your favorite god, goddess, or mythical creature.

26) Medieval Day – Lords and ladies, knights and jesters. Pair it with a pool noodle joust!

27) Past or Future Self Day – Dress up as a past or future iteration of yourself.

28) Celebrity Day – Do you bear an uncanny resemblance to a celebrity? Or wish you did? This is your chance!

29) Animal Day – Dress up as your favorite animal. Note: when referring to creatures with whom they have an affinity, as the phrase trivializes indigenous spiritual connections and traditions.

30) Teacher Look-Alike Day – Dress up as your favorite teacher! Bonus: this allows for some good-natured ribbing.

31) Galaxy Day – Dress up as an astronaut or alien, or go wild with any other cosmic-themed outfit!

32) Toy Day – Dress up as your favorite childhood toy.

33) Historical Figure Day – Dress up as a significant person from history. Remember to set some ground rules to prevent offensive dress or caricatures.

34) Role Model Day – A day to emulate that individual (dead or alive) you most admire.

35) Disney Day – Dress up as your favorite Disney character or don some Disney merch (Mickey ears, anyone?). Bonus: Lots of opportunities for group costumes.

36) Animated Character Day – Could be a cartoon character, Pixar character, etc.

37) Science Fiction Day – Don steampunk attire or dress up as your favorite Star Wars character.

38) Pirate Day – In addition to dressing up, encourage students to talk like pirates all day (ahoy, matey!). Fun fact: September 19 each year is

39) Fantasy Day – Throw on some fairy wings or let your Lord of the Rings fandom shine. 

Themed Dress-Up School Spirit Ideas

40) Denim Day – Canadian tuxedos all day, every day.

41) Formal Day – Go all out with tuxedos, ball gowns, etc.

42) Y2K Day – Y2K fashion is having a moment, so lean into it! Space buns, butterfly clips, the baggiest of baggy jeans—so much potential.

43) Leather/Pleather Day – Motorcycle jackets for all.

44) Beach Day – While swimsuits aren’t practical or comfortable for school, students can don their flip-flops, sunnies, and other beach gear.

45) Rodeo Day – Bust out those cowboy hats and boots, or else go all in on a clown costume.

46) Farm Day – Overalls for all. Bonus: work with your local 4-H to organize an on-site petting zoo. It’s difficult to stress over exams if you’ve just held a baby chick or patted a goat.

47) Decades Day – Assign each grade level a decade to celebrate by dressing up, decorating a common area of the school, etc. Decades could be consecutive (70s, 80s, 90s, 2000s) or nonconsecutive. Even better? Make it a friendly competition with voting and prizes!

Related school spirit ideas: assign each decade a day of the week and participate as one student body (for example, Monday is 60s, Tuesday is 70s, etc.). Note: this idea is endlessly adaptable. Assign each grade level a color, assign each homeroom a historical period, assign each day of the week a movie or book…

48) Thrift Shop Day – Source your entire outfit from the local thrift shop. Pair it with prizes for the best finds.

49) Twin, Triplet, or Quadruplet Day – Team up with a group of friends to wear matching ensembles. Provide prizes for the most creative takes! Note: Provide an option to be randomly assigned to a team to ensure no one is left out.

School Spirit Competitions & Challenges

50) Board Games Day/Week – Set out board games throughout the school and embrace your inner child! Alternatively, set up tournaments. Risk, anyone?

51) Raise Money for Local Charities (Competition) – Have the student body vote to select a local charity to support (students can prepare pitches to garner votes for their favorite charities). Once selected, each grade level should work for a week to raise money. Make it a friendly competition and encourage creativity. For example, if raising money for an animal shelter, have students provide photographs of their pets and charge students to vote on the cutest dog, cat, etc. with all proceeds going towards the charity.

52) Supplies Drive – Adapt this school spirit idea to meet the needs of the community and the interests of the student body. Examples: collect canned goods for the food bank, pet food for the animal shelter, or school/classroom supplies for local schools (or your own school). As always, make it a competition to spice things up!

53) Cooking Challenge – Host a Top Chef or Chopped-style competition and invite school administrators or local leaders to serve as judges. Note: This competition can be adapted to accommodate safety concerns or facility limitations. For example, no oven or stove? Dishes must be prepared using only a microwave or the challenge can focus on no-bake desserts. School doesn’t allow students to wield knives? Provide pre-chopped ingredients and have students compete to make the best smoothie or salad. Alternatively, students can only create dishes out of ingredients sourced from vending machines.

54) Clothing Exchange & Fashion Show – Provide students with a fun, sustainable, and free way to refresh their wardrobe. Encourage students to drop off gently-used clothing in a common area, and then invite students to shop. End the event with a fashion show and then donate any unclaimed clothing to a local shelter.

55) Host a Dance Battle – Nominate students from each grade to participate in knockout dance battles involving either individual dancers competing in one-on-one battles or crews seeking to out-dance one another.

56) Airbands Competition – Use your school auditorium to host a lip-sync and dance competition. Teams can go all out with costumes, choreography, props, etc.

57) Musical Show-Down – This school spirit idea can be as intensive as you like! Fun musicals: Grease, The Greatest Showman (circus day!), West Side Story.Lower Effort: Assign each grade a musical and have either the full grade or a smaller group perform a number from said musical.

Higher Effort: Do the same as above, but lean more fully into the theme by having students dress up for the day, decorate common spaces, etc. Alternatively, the full school can choose the same musical and the show-down can be between different numbers. Can be paired with a full performance put on by the drama department.

58) Trivia Competition – Students can compete as individuals or in teams. Either use predetermined trivia questions or else design your own competition based on school or local facts.

59) School Scavenger Hunt – Work with alumni and staff as well as current students to design a wide-ranging scavenger hunt to take place over Spirit Week. Raise the ante by providing enticing prizes for winners.

60) Capture the Flag – Have two grades face off, and then have the winners battle one another. Winning grade gets all the glory.

61) Chalk Art Competition – Assign all interested students a section of the sidewalk or parking lot and let them go wild. You can keep it school spirit focused by using only certain colors of chalk or requiring that designs include the school mascot. Have the student body vote to select the winner.

Community & Volunteer School Spirit Ideas

62) Earth Day – Plant some trees on campus, tend to (or start) a school garden, initiate a school-wide trash pick-up day, and/or start a composting program!

63) Volunteer Week – Arrange for daily volunteer opportunities. Students can try out a different experience each day or else commit to one activity for the full week. Examples: preparing and/or serving food at shelters, walking dogs or cleaning cages at the local animal shelter, or engaging in trail maintenance. Bonus: students might be exposed to longer-term community service opportunities and projects.

64) Community Engagement Day – Arrange for students to go read at local elementary schools or during library story hours, have lunch with residents of an assisted living facility, or attend a city council meeting.

65) Organize a Senior Citizen Prom – Decorate a common area, enlist the school jazz band, create a classic photo backdrop, and invite local senior citizens to attend prom. Encourage all students to participate by helping with décor, sitting or dancing with attendees, or managing the coat check.

School Spirit Performances & Showcases

66) Extracurricular Expo – A good activity for Homecoming Week, an Extracurricular Expo allows new or returning students to explore different activities. Each club, team, etc. should set up a table and strive to engage new participants or members or else simply raise awareness.

67) Athletics/Extracurricular Swap-a-thon – Mix it up! Have members of the soccer team play a basketball game. Have members of the marching band perform a cheer routine. Antics and hilarity will undoubtedly ensue, but the activities might also encourage renewed admiration and respect for each other. Who knew a cartwheel was so challenging?!

68) Karaoke! – Rent a karaoke machine and set it up in the cafeteria. Encourage students to serenade one another during lunch.

69) Open Mic Night – Spoken word? Poetry slam? Perform an original song? Showcase the various talents of the student body in a supportive atmosphere.

Artsy School Spirit Ideas

70) School Colors Crafts – Set up craft stations in common areas so students can make their own pom poms or woven bracelets featuring school colors.

71) Locker Decorating Contest – Set a theme (school colors is an easy one) and invite students to decorate their lockers. Set up a system for voting on your favorites and provide prizes.

72) Flower Power Day – Encourage floral patterns, sell corsages, and organize a flower-crown building activity.

73) “Hall”-I-Days – Divide students up into groups to decorate each school hallway according to a different holiday. Can be paired with themed outfits and activities for each hallway.

74) Paint a Mural (with permission, of course) – Work with your school to identify an interior or exterior wall in need of some attention. Solicit design ideas from students and hold a school-wide vote. Then assign each student one section of said mural according to interest and skill level. Alternatively, if a mural isn’t an option, work with the drama department to paint some stage backdrops for an upcoming production.

Mindfulness & Connection School Spirit Ideas

75) Analog Day – Focus on non-digital activities and modes of communication by setting aside phones and other devices for the day. Coordinate it with a staff and faculty appreciation day and write hand-written thank-you notes, or else use the day to make posters or signs celebrating your school spirit to wave at an upcoming game.

76) Gratitude Day – Distribute colored sticky notes or index cards (one color assigned to each grade), encourage students to identify things for which they are grateful (particularly if they are school-related), and designate an area for students to display their notes.

77) Alumni Meet-and-Greet – Invite local alumni (or even far-flung) alumni to come mingle with students. Ask them to reminisce, share their experiences, and offer guidance.

78) Learn to (Fill in the Blank) Day(s) – Does your student body include avid knitters? Is there a nearby creek for fishing? Host a “learn to_______” day where you celebrate fellow students’ expertise and encourage everyone to learn to knit, fish, sew, snowshoe, etc.

Large-Scale School Spirit Ideas

79) Host a Movie Night – Use it as a fundraiser by selling popcorn and candy. If weather allows, hold the event outside and project the film on the school building.

80) Throw a Carnival – Assign different teams, clubs, etc. to different carnival activities (corn hole, face painting, etc.). Combine it with the above “supply drive” by encouraging attendees to donate canned goods or pet supplies.

81) Plan a Parade – It’s a classic for a reason. Decorate floats, enlist the cheer team and marching band, and engage the community!

82) Ice Cream Sundae Bar – Grab some industrial-size tubs of ice cream, provide bowls and spoons, and go nuts with toppings. Get creative by using sprinkles in your school colors or gummy candies in the form of your school mascot.

83) Snow Day – This is climate and weather-dependent, but if you reside in a snowy environment, celebrate a good old-fashioned snow day. Possible activities: sledding, snowman building contest, hot chocolate bar, etc.

84) Zombie Day & Fun Run – Dress up as a zombie and host a 1-mile fun run. Don’t forget to take lots of photos!

85) Field Day – Everyone loves a good old-fashioned field day, but chances are you haven’t participated in one for years. Sack races, ring tosses, group jump rope…keep it light and fun.

School Spirit Ideas – Final Thoughts

No matter what, remember that school spirit days should be accessible and inclusive! Try to avoid activities or themes that promote cliquishness or mean-spirited mocking. Likewise, try to keep the financial barrier of entry low by encouraging creativity and resourcefulness. Overall, you know your student body best!