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High school can sometimes feel like a reality show that nobody asked to be on. It's complete with drama, plot twists, and questionable characters and decisions that somehow feel like the end of the world at the time, the memories are endless and often absolutely ridiculous.
Netizens rallied around and shared the wildest and most unforgettable controversies they experienced during their teenage years. And, of course, we’ve rounded up the most outrageous, hilarious, and downright shocking tales for your entertainment.
More info: Reddit
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#1
Several teachers refused to give football players any grade below an A. It got caught when one of the players noticed that he had missed 3 questions on a 20 question quiz and asked the teacher, in front of the class, why is grade was so high.
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#2
One of the teachers was behaving very inappropriately towards his female students. We at the school newspaper wrote a story about it. It was censored by the principal. The journalism teacher argued that our paper was a forum for student expression and could not be censored by the school. The principal disagreed. There was a big hubbub about it and in the end the story didn't run. The teacher in question was also the town sheriff, so that might have had something to do with it.
#3
Kids used a keylogger to capture a teacher login to the online grading system. They started charging kids to change their grades in certain classes they had access to. Eventually, a teacher noticed some of the grades changed and alerted administration. Police were involved, it ended up being a pretty big deal. The kids behind it were pulled out of the school system before they could be expelled.
Pretty sure they went on to Ivy league schools, some of which praised them for their clever discovery.
According to Antigone, high school controversies tend to fall into a few recurring patterns. Many involve pranks that spiral out of control, or cheating and academic scandals that divide students and staff. Dress code and policy disputes frequently spark arguments, while instances of teacher misconduct or favoritism can fuel tension between students and faculty.
They also highlight other common flashpoints including sports-related drama, such as rivalries or unfair play, and social hierarchy conflicts, where clashes occur between popular students and those on the fringes. Recognizing these categories helps explain why certain high school incidents become memorable and widely discussed.
#4
Popular girl died and whole school had to mourn. they hushed up she was drunk driving.
a not popular girl died and nary a word was said about her. she had CF. only got a * in the graduation book. they stopped the presses for the yearbook to insert a whole tribute to the popular girl.
wasn't a controversy to the popular people but, to us common folk... it was.
#5
Kid tried lighting his fart on fire and ended up defecating on the floor.
#6
Staff faculty took a student to prom as a date.
Rick Murray 1 hour ago
Needs context. Was this a pervy teacher, or was it being nice to, say, somebody with Down's Syndrome that nobody else wanted to take?
The Sunstone Institute notes that adults like teachers, principals, coaches, and parents, can also unintentionally escalate school controversies or be the center of these controversies themselves. Through reactive behavior, miscommunication, or overinvolvement, situations that might have remained minor often spiral into major conflicts.
These heightened tensions affect not only students but also staff and the broader school environment, sometimes creating lasting divisions or stress. Whether it’s a sports dispute, a classroom disagreement, or a disciplinary issue, adult intervention can unintentionally intensify drama, making it a central factor in why some high school controversies become so memorable and impactful.
#7
Had a teacher get arrested In the middle of class by the fbi and sherif. For filming CP In the school.
#8
Female choir teacher got with 15 year old boy. Two female teachers caught kissing. Same year. Christian private school.
Lukas (he/him, it/its) 5 hours ago
One of these is far worse than the other. Unfortunately I feel like the private Christian school would probably disagree with which one I think is worse.
#9
Favorite teacher in the school was fired for having illegal substances in his classroom. But it wasn’t his
He let baseball players keep their bags in his room if they were in his home room. Detector dogs came in and cleared the room. He took the fall even after it was known it wasn’t his
The baseball playing student was the most hated kid in school until graduation.
greenideas 4 hours ago
I wouldn't take the fall for a student. If the teacher had dependents that were affected by his job loss, then he is an AH.
Why do people tend to remember these embarrassing or dramatic moments, though? Genesis Therapy explains that this is because of the brain’s emotional tagging system and negativity bias. These mechanisms prioritize intense or negative experiences as a way to help us learn from potentially threatening situations.
Such moments often trigger strong physiological reactions, like increased heart rate or adrenaline, surprise which strengthen how the memory is encoded in long-term storage. This is why high school controversies, awkward incidents, and intense social dramas tend to stick with us for years, shaping both our recollections and how we share these stories later.
#10
Kid got expelled for calling a teacher an alleged child predator. Fast forward, we’re all graduated and guess who’s on the news for being a child predator… Mr. teacher!
#11
Over winter break my freshman year math teacher got caught meeting what he thought was a 12 year old boy at a McDonald’s the next state over. Trunk had lube, condoms, wine coolers, the whole nine yards.
The worst part was, I found out I wasn’t actually an A student in math, I think he just had a crush on me.
#12
Saw a young male student swing on an older female teacher. She whooped him good but in the end, lost her job. That kid was a real piece of work and it was fun to watch him get what he deserved.
The Conversation offers another perspective as to why high school controversies specifically often remain vivid in memory because they occur during a highly sensitive stage of adolescent development. Teen experiences are encoded with intense emotion and take place in a tightly connected social environment, making them feel high-stakes and central to one’s identity.
During this period, the brain is especially attuned to feedback about status, appearance, and competence, which causes social events to be tagged as important. Emotionally charged experiences, such as public humiliation, betrayal, or conflict, are prioritized by memory systems, making them far easier to recall decades later than many routine adult experiences.
#13
My (private) high school was shut down because of the biggest political corruption investigation in my country. Turns out the school was laundering money for corrupt politicians.
#14
There was a war going on between two gangs and this guy Angel got attacked and died. Then the cops came and the crowd lifted the cop car and flipped it to its side. It made the papers.
#15
I was the controversy. I was in high school when the first couple school shootings happened, and being a strange child they were so worried about me doing something dirty so they threw me in a class with an undercover cop. By the time I left high school most of the other kids in that class were arrested. My junior year the school requested I drop out. I had trouble with a lot of the teachers, they didn’t like me and it was noticeable. So I took the suggestion, dropped out and went in to get my g.e.d with an A- average. Went to college, and graduated with a B average. It’s insane that they tried to pin me as being a problem, when the real problem was how I was treated.
Saw that cop that ran the class after graduating college the first time and he was surprised I was alive.
Con O Cuinn 5 hours ago
"How do we stop these damaged kids from doing something awful? I know, let's treat every different kid like absolute s**t, that'll solve it"
At the heart of these high school controversies, it’s also clear that the mess of high school life isn’t limited to teenagers, no it often spills over into teachers, parents, and anyone unlucky enough to get caught in the middle.
Truth is, some people thrived on attention, some just tried to survive, and a few accidentally became legends in the process. Well, keep reading to relive the wildest moments, laugh at the absurd, and maybe even remember a few hilarious scandals of your own.
#16
A group of students self-published a zine that called out specific faculty/security for being creeps/corrupt/general jerks. There was also a good amount of anti-authority poems/writings/drawings. All 9 students were found out and promptly expelled.
#17
Predator teacher who always insisted on looking below the female students desks, on the pretense of making sure they had their legs far enough apart for typing posture! Arsehole!
#18
Really popular male teacher - early 30s, everyone's best friend - was sleeping with female students in his classroom on his desk. His door had a lock and a garbage bag over the door slit window, which we all found weird. He said it helped him focus when marking.
Eventually one of the girls grades were so bad that her parents started questioning her about it, and she basically confessed that her mental health was in the dumps because the teacher was sleeping with her, without protection, multiple times a week.
Once the school found out, the teacher was placed on leave, and all of a sudden all these other girls came forward as victims (privately, but scuttle spread quickly across the school). Must have been 8 or 9 in total by the end - turns out he was having them perform intimate acts with multiple different students.
Was quickly charged and convicted after a guilty plea.
#19
Take your pick:
- Several students from the same family didn't feel like writing June exams and burned my elementary school down nearly 50 years ago
- Grade 1 teacher was a vicious nun who beat a kid for accidentally peeing her pants - my little sister
- Grade 6 teacher was a predator who would invite boys to his house - I was one of the ones he tried to invite, never went; he also would barge in when male students were changing and tell them to 'hurry up'.
- High School art teacher went to jail for grooming and exploiting a female student, starting when she was 13.
- Local High School teacher forced into retirement after posting private picks to a public social media account
- all in a Midwestern town.
#20
Our vice prinicipal used our schools fundraising money that was for extracurriculars, dances, new equipment, etc.. and bought a dozen fancy custom embroidered jackets for themselves and a select few of the faculty. Apparently each jacket was +$400 due to the complexity of embroidering the school's logo onto the back, as well as personalized names.
None of the other staff knew they were doing this, or that they had used the school's event money for it. Some teachers who were gifted these jackets were horrified, they didn't want this.
He didn't get into any work trouble. Some teachers kept and wore their jackets, we had less events that year. Parents, students, and other staff were dismayed but ultimately powerless to punish him.
Con O Cuinn 6 hours ago
My primary school was split into 2 so had 2 principals. For years, they had been charging parents fees for art classes with a visiting instructor. It was only about £8-10 a year so nobody questioned it thinking it was for supplies. Turned out that the Department of Education was funding everything and those two had been pocketing the cash for years. 2000 students × £8-10 × how ever many years they got away with it.
#21
We had a whole school meeting in the auditorium about these little things people were making with paperclips that snapped and felt like a bee sting when you were hit with them. Not only did it raise awareness of the thing throughout the entire school, they were stupid enough to show us how to make them and use them to inflict bee stings.
#22
Three kids in my high school English class were at a party and a girl from a nearby school OD'ed at a party they were all at. They were scared of getting in trouble doing illegal substances so they waited until the morning and dropped her dead body off at the ER and ran. One of them went to juvenile jail for providing the illegal substances to her.
#23
Exploitation ring. Not kidding. The grade 9 girls were selling their bodies in the teachers bathroom. One girl was in charge and basically the pimp.
#24
A girl was pissed that her boyfriend broke up with her and started dating someone new, so she tried to run him over in the school parking lot.
#25
Technically my fault. In middle school I had a bit of a problem with being bullied by classmates so after watching Deathnote (movie) I decided to make my own. Bought a journal and wrote classmates names and how I’d like them to die, but never showed it to them. I kept it to myself and never brought it to school. Until I did. One day I accidentally grabbed it thinking it was a different book and brought it to school. I went out to the water fountain and when I came back some kids were snooping through my backpack and came across the book. From the 5 minutes I was gone the entire classroom saw that most if not all of their names were in my Deathnote.
Long story short: since I never acted upon this and only wrote about in my free time outside of school, I wasn’t severely punished. However I still went into counseling and no one ever bothered me again.
#26
There was a cafeteria fight during which a woman student took off her high heel shoe and struck a guy on the head with it while he was fighting another guy. Maybe not controversial but certainly unforgettable, given the fact that it happened almost 50 years ago.
#27
Our Home Ec teacher had intimate relations with several different male students. Her husband was the principal at the time.
Tucker Cahooter 1 hour ago
When I did Home Ec in high school, the syllabus only covered cooking and cleaning
#28
I think i told this story somewhere on reddit before, but anyway....
Our principal at the time was a cool dude. Big supporter of the arts programs, super involved with everyday operations. Dude spent more time in the halls and classrooms with teachers and students than in his own office. We'll the head of the school board hated this our principal . Apparently they would have screaming matches at school board meetings.
One of the teachers reported one of the vice principals of harassment and possible stalking after hours. The same day our principal learned about it, the school board head did too. He decided the principal was not taking it seriously enough and pretty much forced him into early retirement. This was seriously messed up cause he was the sole provider for his terminally ill wife and was apparently like a year away from reaching some goal he had planned for her (never found out if he made it happen).
Well the day we learned, he gave this 10 minute super passionate speech over the intercom, not about his termination, but how about how much he believed in all of us. Dude had teachers crying mid day. After it was done, none of the teachers kept up with the day. They all rushed to the office to figure out what was happening. No one taught any lessons, just straight up started telling the students all the drama above. Apparently 4 teachers just straight up packed their stuff and walked out. 2 or 3 others handed in a proper resignation by the end of the week.
Now in the same day, a different vice principal was in the middle of expelling a student, parents and a resource officer in the meeting. That ended up boiling over and the student and her dad started fighting the resource officer. I swear they had every cop in the county swarm the school cause they ended up having to hog tie both the girl and her dad. The day ended a bit earlier with officers escorting each individual class room the the school buses to leave.
Edit: ive always been a lurker on here (hence the low karma) thank you for my first ever awards for talking about my old high school! Definitely don't miss it, but it makes for good stories 😅.
#29
On my last day of senior year, the guys in my grade brought in water balloons. One of them told the vice principal that he had “plastic explosives” in his backpack and refused to let him look when asked. The school went into explosives threat mode and all of us were made to go home early.
#30
The married gym teacher was having an affair with the married English teacher. They both divorced and married each other.
#31
"two girls...distributing cupcakes laced with urine to fellow students" 2012.
#32
Whether or not guys could have long hair (this was in the 60s). School said no; kid and his parents said yes. Went to the state Supreme Court and they ruled against the school.
#33
The “weird girl’s” nudes got out and she dropped out after that and apparently became a adult entertainment star.
#34
I was sent to a Christian private high school, so it was whenever some girl got pregnant.
I also caused a very behind-the-scenes controversy among the school's staff by refusing to sign an abstinence pledge in class. I told the teacher, in the most polite way possible, that what I do is not anyone's business and that they can kindly get lost.
Lee Gilliland 3 hours ago
Which translates as several pregnancies, then. In a Christian private school.
#35
One girl cheated on her boyfriend by taking literally the entire basketball team with the entirety of it being recorded
Multiple early 20yo graduates would get freshmen girls depended on illegal substances and take them back to their house a few blocks away.
#36
A girl wrote a ‘burn book’ about everyone. Something written in it got back to the popular girl and the school got involved. As far as I’m aware, the ‘burn book’ was then flushed down the toilet.
I remember it being a really big deal and the school were very serious about it.
#37
Our head Phys Ed teacher had not one but TWO pregnancy scandals
- He got the girl's phys ed teacher pregnant (both were single) during my senior year.
- He ALSO got a senior in my graduating class pregnant during senior year.
this second one came to light just before graduation so I have no idea how it all turned out.
#38
One of the teachers in my highschool was stealing and hoarding computers and equipment. the police found a storage unit full of it and he was taken out of school in handcuffs.
#39
Someone went around all year and would poop on the hoods of students cars, in the school parking lot and in their driveways, with a note that just said "stop bullying Joel", so obviously it was Joel doing it, but he never got caught, he did continue to be bullied.
#40
Our IT teacher used to send out drunk emails to the class at 2 am, with bad spelling and s****l innuendos.
What do you think ?
Rick Murray 1 hour ago
Circa 1986. Fire alarm early in the morning, like 5am or so. When we were out, teachers said "get dressed, come back here". So we put our uniforms on, then went back...to find out we'd *all* been sent on a cross country run in the dark in the rain. Clearly most of us didn't bother, we just went partway down the lane and nipped into the bushes. Which meant we all saw dozens of jam sandwiches descend on the place, rozzers everywhere. Turns out that all the rumours about the headmaster being a total bender...were all true. The following day we lost a third of the pupils, either those involved or those withdrawn by freaked out parents. The worst thing, for me, was matron openly bawling, that it was real hit her hard.
Rick Murray 1 hour ago
For non-Brits: Jam sandwich = traditional cop car that's white with a red stripe along the middle (Google "wiki jam sandwich police"). Rozzer = a cop. Bender = offensive slang - he was the headmaster, it was a boy's school, join the dots.
Load More Replies...
Rick Murray 1 hour ago
Circa 1986. Fire alarm early in the morning, like 5am or so. When we were out, teachers said "get dressed, come back here". So we put our uniforms on, then went back...to find out we'd *all* been sent on a cross country run in the dark in the rain. Clearly most of us didn't bother, we just went partway down the lane and nipped into the bushes. Which meant we all saw dozens of jam sandwiches descend on the place, rozzers everywhere. Turns out that all the rumours about the headmaster being a total bender...were all true. The following day we lost a third of the pupils, either those involved or those withdrawn by freaked out parents. The worst thing, for me, was matron openly bawling, that it was real hit her hard.
Rick Murray 1 hour ago
For non-Brits: Jam sandwich = traditional cop car that's white with a red stripe along the middle (Google "wiki jam sandwich police"). Rozzer = a cop. Bender = offensive slang - he was the headmaster, it was a boy's school, join the dots.
Load More Replies... 
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