Senior pranks are a bit controversial, but in many schools they have become an old tradition. The key is to come up with interesting and clever senior prank ideas without causing damage or leaving behind bad emotions. To find out what makes a good senior prank, we asked real teachers to tell us about the best senior pranks they’ve seen. Here’s what they shared along with tips on choosing the best prank ideas for the class of 2025:
How to get rid of the best advanced pranks
Teacher Susan N offers this brief advice. “I always tell my senior that the best pranks are safe, do not disrupt the rank significantly, do not damage the property, leave no confusion for the custodian (senior who threw sparkles in the hall for a year – I’m watching you!”
There are a few questions to consider when planning a senior prank.
Does it cause permanent damage? Who will clean it after that? Does that disrupt school day much? Is it safe for everyone involved? Are there any unexpected results? What if things don’t go well? Is your prank potentially aggressive towards a particular group (e.g., women or minority) or is it people? Does prank give everyone in the senior class the opportunity to participate if they want?
Feature Picks
Senior prank photo props
Grab the sign and pose! These senior prank photo props will let students flaunt their prank pride.
Examples of bad advanced prank ideas
Teachers loved sharing their favorite senior pranks with us, but they also noted that they had become seriously wrong for a variety of reasons. Here’s why these are the issues and why the 2025 class definitely shouldn’t repeat them:
Bad prank: “The elderly have cut down some trees on campus, resulting in a charge being filed.” – Sarah R.
Lesson: Don’t do anything illegal that will cause permanent changes or damage!
Bad prank: “The kids were giving birth to the hallway and trying to pull the fire alarm, but they were caught and instead entered the blockade.” – Kate W.
Lesson: Don’t plan pranks that could be dangerous (imagine all the injuries that could have been harmed).
Bad prank: “A group of older boys tried to close the school’s front door. Thankfully either they didn’t mix the concrete properly or something was set correctly with the temperature. – Amanda M.
Lesson: Do nothing that is very difficult to set up correctly or that could require major repairs. Furthermore, in the event of a fire or other emergency, this could have caused a dangerous situation.
Bad prank: “Seniors loosened a flock of chickens raised at school over the weekend. They had to close the school for three days for sanitary cleaning. A big scuff!!” – Sadie R.
Lesson: This caused a huge confusion that someone else had to clean up. Furthermore, it was not safe for animals and potentially dangerous for humans.
Now that you know what you shouldn’t do, let’s take a look at these harmless advanced pranks that have made people laugh and created some hilarious memories.
Easy Senior Prank Ideas
As fun as senior pranks do, when everyone is juggling millions of other things at the end of high school last year, it can be hard to come up with the time and cooperation that separates them. These senior prank ideas (shared by real teachers) are not too complicated, so you can squeeze them out with a final laugh with minimal effort!
“fight”
This is quick and funny, but before revealing any jokes, be careful not to cause too much confusion. When the staff broke it, it was two students playing Rocks Sock’em robot game! ” —Susan N.
Principal + Mariachi Band
You need to raise a little money for this celebration advanced prank idea. “The senior hired Mariachi’s band and chased the principal for a few hours. He was a great sport about it. – Beth H.
Graduation egg
The start is a strict ceremony, but if you do it right, you can bring a little more carefree fun to the event, as these kids did. “The elderly did not play pranks in the building, but instead each handed them an egg when they received their diploma.” – Jeanne T.
Graduation Marble
Do you need to be careful when carrying eggs? Try something small! “When I waved at graduation, there was a graduate with one marble given to the director in each alumni’s hands. There were 942 graduates and the director’s son finally crossed the stage!” – Bonnie B.
Schools for Sale
This is one of the most popular advanced pranks, often including a huge sheet that has become a sales sign hung at the school. But here’s another way to do that: “Pupils from another high school in my district made Girolists for their school.” – Bailey M.
I’ll take your dog on school day
This sounds fun, but plan a way to safely take care of and clean after the animals involved. “All students claimed they had taken their dogs to school and had special permission from the principal. [have permission]. ” – Sarah R.
Everyone inside
“My graduation class was 65 students, so we packed into the principal’s office to surprise him. The surprise was that we rearranged everything we could fit there!” – Taylor H.
Unique Senior Prank Ideas
These pranks may take a little more time and teamwork, but they will make a lasting impression of the 2025 class!
Relocation of the principal’s office
Sarah J. via Facebook
“The relocation of the principal’s office includes everything that was literally not nailed – it went out on the field. Everything was in the same position as his actual office. – Sarah J.
School Engagement Zoo
“The best prank I’ve seen was when my seniors turned staff parking into a petting zoo. Goats, cows, sheep, etc. Hay Bale for the border. – Lavon H.
Repeat Christmas
This will take a little pre-plan, so you need to think ahead of time. “At a nearby high school, the kids collected abandoned Christmas trees to save them until spring. Then, on an advanced prank day, they “planted” the trees on the soccer field. – Amy J.
Days on the beach
“At the intersection in front of high school, the seniors built a “poolside lounge.” They had pool chairs, a pool for little kids (filled with water!), and plenty of pool toys. – Lauren M.
Cards, cards, cards
“The class printed thousands of business cards saying, ‘There are 5,000 hidden around the school. Please drive us away.’ It was a group from last year and I still feel they are in books or behind furniture. – Cassie D.
Student switching
“Most of our school seniors set it up with our superintendents and our rival school superintendents. Seniors from each school secretly switched schools that day. I was full of 30 kids I’d never seen before. It was pretty well done!” – Jason J.
Student switching, take two
This definitely needs help from the administration, but the response is valuable! “The best senior prank ever! Senior in history class. The teacher was called to the office for a moment. While he was gone, all the seniors went to the next room, and the second grade class filled the room. When the teacher came back… ha ha!” – Jacqueline P.
Trawling
This can work with a small, fun toy. “We’ve surpassed 300 of crazy hair trolls hidden throughout the school building. We’ve been thrown into high shelves. The students continued to stumble on the troll for several more years. – Katherine F.
Car Caper
Advanced pranks involving cars have been around for decades. “In 1979, we disassembled a bug in VW and reassembled it in the enclosed school courtyard,” recalls Audrianne H. The school didn’t have to pay for it. ” – Heather F.
I’ll wrap it
“When my husband was the principal of our local high school, the seniors went into his office and wrapped everything individually in aluminum foil, that is, every book, pen, file folder, etc.” – Kelly P.
Turn it over
“The seniors thought they would ‘sneak into the school late at night and put all the senior teacher furniture in the hallways. What did they not know? We knew about it! It was so much fun! – Brianna A.
Parking Prank
“The seniors camped all night in the parking lots of all teachers. It exploded and in the morning there was supervised teacher and bus traffic in all students’ parking lots. It connects the advanced moments and gives a big laugh that the teacher had to walk from the far parking lot.” – Heather H.
Meet face to face
“At my alma mater, seniors bet their faces (life-size, or perhaps large) on the stakes and placed them in the principal’s yard at night. He awakened the faces of 100 students in his front yard!” – Joan S.
Balloon room
Another popular senior prank idea is to fill up stairs, classrooms, or other school rooms with plenty of balloons. “The students filled the principal’s office with balloons. He was able to take the kids and play in the balloon pit!” – Sarah S.
tractor tom fuley
Many advanced pranks involve children driving unusual cars to schools, especially in a farm country where access to unique equipment. “In the rural school district, all of our seniors drove the biggest tractors to school and took all the parking lots!” – Randy L.
