Great Back to School Movies on Netflix

As summer draws to a close, and school days start creeping up, it’s always good to have a roster of great back-to-school movies on had to help make the transition go more smoothly. Luckily, Netflix has us covered.

Whether you’re a student heading back again for another year of early mornings and homework, or you’re a parent who’s staring down the barrel of another year of early mornings and helping with homework, everyone needs a little distraction.

There’s back-to-school shopping that had to be done, calendars that have to be filled in with schedules, and arraignments a plenty that have to be made for coordinating your daily life for the next eight to nine months, so taking time to unwind and relax with a good movie on Netflix is almost a necessity.

Below, we’ve curated a list of films that are available on the streaming giant that will almost certainly make you feel better and cure your back-to-school woes.

Scroll down for a list of great back to school movies on Netflix…

The Waterboy

Release Date: 1998

Starring: Adam Sandler, Kathy Bates, Fairuza Balk, Jerry Reed, and Henry Winkler

Synopsis: Raised by an overprotective mother, Bobby Boucher Jr. is the water boy for a very successful college football team. When the coach fires Bobby, he takes on water boy duties for a significantly less-successful rival team, led by the despondent Coach Klein. After seeing Bobby clobber a player who was bullying him, Coach Klein asks him to join the team as a linebacker. Soon, the team becomes championship contenders.

The Waterboy is a fantastic back-to-school movie because it is, quite literally, all about a guy who goes back to school. Queue this hilarious flick up and laugh all the way to orientation day.

Forrest Gump

Release Date: 1994

Starring: Tom Hanks, Robin Wright, Gary Sinise, Mykelti Williamson, and Sally Field

Synopsis: Forrest Gump is a slow-witted man who never once thought of himself as “disadvantaged.” This is mostly thanks to his incredibly supportive mother who raises him to lead an unrestricted life. Whether it’s fighting in the Vietnam war,  dominating on the gridiron of his college football team or being the captain of a shrimp boat, Forrest inspires everyone he meets with his childlike optimism and positive attitude.

Forrest Gump is the quintessential feel-good movie, but it’s also a perfect back-to-school flick, as about half of the film revolves around Forrest navigating the turbulent waters of school-life. Luckily for us, it’s available to watch on Netflix right now.

Police Academy

Release Date: 1984

Starring: Steve Guttenberg, Kim Cattrall, Bubba Smith, George Gaynes and Michael Winslow

Synopsis: In order to get more cops on the streets, the mayor of a city riddled with crime, decides to loosen the restrictions on entering the local police academy. This causes all kinds of bizarre characters enlist to join the force. Among the new cadets are the charming Carey Mahoney, the intimidating Moses Hightower, the gorgeous Karen Thompson, and the walking sound effects-machine Larvell Jones, who all have to display vigilance and heroism when they’re faced with hard scenarios while on patrol.

Police Academy is everything hilarious about having to be in school but never taking it seriously. These goofballs do it for you so that you can follow the rules and focus on your studies. make sure to line this one up for one of those late night cram-sessions.

Scream

Release Date: 1996

Starring: David Arquette, Neve Campbell, Courteney Cox, Matthew Lillard, Rose McGowan, Skeet Ulrich and Drew Barrymore

Synopsis: The small town of Woodsboro just awakened, and it’s screaming bloody murder — literally. A killer walks in the midst of the local high-schoolers and they’ve seen way too many horror movies. Nobody is safe, as the homicidal maniac stalks victims, taunts them with horror movie trivia, and then finally sliced them to bloody pieces. The most terrifying part, however, is that anybody could be the murderer.

Scream made an entire generation of students terrified of their teachers and classmates because it used a high school setting to tell a gruesome murder mystery. If scary movies are your cup of tea, then make sure to add Scream to your Netflix queue ASAP.