History Main / BacktoSchool

* In the Creator/KevinSmith episodes of ''Series/{{Degrassi}}'' this is the plot synopsis of Film/TheViewAskewniverse movie Smith has come to UsefulNotes/{{Toronto}} (and eventually the school) to film.

* ''Fanfic/FamilyGuyFanon'''s "[[https://familyguyfanon.fandom.com/wiki/The_Education_of_Elmer_T._Bags The Education of Elmer T. Bags]]" sees Dr. Hartman lose his job because he never graduated high school. So, he started going to James Woods Regional High School to get his qualifications for his back. However, he gets involved with the popular clique when he gives the popular kids drugs.

* In ''Series/TheGeorgeLopezShow'', George goes back to school after there is a PTA meeting specifically targeted at parents who didn't go to college. Max decides he doesn't need to go either so George wants to teach him a lesson. In the next episode, George drops out and tells the teacher he was in the military and got sent to Iraq. HilarityEnsues.
* In ''Series/TheSteveHarveyShow'', Steve and the gang all have to take a required computer class, which Lovita teaches. The usually overachieving Regina fails the class miserably while slackers Steve and Ced pass. HilarityEnsues.

* This trope was the premise of the ''Series/{{Moesha}}'' [=Spinoff=], ''Series/TheParkers''. Nikki Parker (Mo'Nique) had to put off going to college because of a TeenPregnancy and a subsequent failed marriage. She decides to go to community college, much to her daughter Kim's embarrassment because she's also attending the same school. HilarityEnsues.

** Bookman does this. When he and wife Violet were dating, he lies and tells her that he was in college, when in reality [[spoiler: he never finished high school]]. After much HilarityEnsues and a NotWhatItLooksLike, he finally tells her the truth and says that he was inspired to go back to school because he saw Jesse Jackson on TV encouraging Black people to get an education and be positive members of their community.

** Peter also had to go back to school and finish the third grade in order to get a promotion at the brewery. HilarityEnsues and like in the toad episode he starts believing he was a real third-grader and acting as such, including getting Quagmire to pose as his father so he could leave school to attend a ball game.

* In the ''WesternAnimation/TaleSpin'' episode "Sheepskin Deep", Baloo returns to finish school so he'll be able to attend a class reunion. The really [[HilarityEnsues hilarious part]] is that it's ''elementary'' school, the same one ''Kit attends'', and we see him trying to fit into the tiny little desk and everything.

** In "Welcome Back, Bravo", Johnny goes back to school because he didn't finish the fourth grade. As expected, HilarityEnsues.

* In ''Series/SchittsCreek'' Alexis has to go back to high school to qualify for college, having failed to finish the first time (unknown to her parents) because of "this long, boring story involving a yacht, and a famous soccer player, and like a ton of mushrooms." [[/folder]]

When actual school children have to repeat a grade you want HeldBackInSchool. [[JustForFun/IThoughtItMeant Not to be confused with a regular]] SliceOfLife [[JustForFun/IThoughtItMeant scenario involving children having to go to school after the summer break ends.]]

If you're looking for the 1986 comedy of the same name, go [[Film/BackToSchool here]].

* Done in an episode of ''WesternAnimation/JohnnyBravo'', "Prep School Johnny". Johnny goes back to school because he didn't finish a class. HilarityEnsues.

* The Gangreen Gang are forced back to kindergarten in ''WesternAnimation/ThePowerpuffGirls'' episode "Schoolhouse Rocked".

* In ''WesternAnimation/AnExtremelyGoofyMovie'', Goofy had to return to college (and the same one his son Max was attending, no less!) to get a job. With the ''Goof Troop'' example below, this implicitly means that Goofy did this ''twice''.

->''"Back to school, back to school, to prove to dad I'm not a fool..."''

* In ''Series/SchittsCreek'' Alexis has to go back to high school to qualify for college, having failed to finish the first time because of "this long, boring story involving a yacht, and a famous soccer player, and like a ton of mushrooms." [[/folder]]

* In a ''Series/TheCosbyShow'' episode, the daughter has a date with a classmate from high school who turns out to be much older, having gone back to school after serving in the merchant marine. When Claire asks him if he feels uncomfortable surrounded by students so much younger, he cheerfully replies "No, once you've been in a Turkish prison, nothing else really bothers you."[[/folder]]

* Phoebe from ''Series/{{Charmed}}'' goes back to college in season 2 where she earns a degree in psychology, then returns in season 7 to become more professional in her career as an advice columnist. However, she doesn't continue where she left off after faking her death and assuming a new identity next season.

* In a ''Series/TheCosbyShow'' episode, the daughter has a date with a classmate from high school who turns out to be much older, having gone back to school after serving in the merchant marine. When Claire asks him if he feels uncomfortable surrounded by students so much younger, he cheerfully replies |"No, once you've been in a Turkish prison, nothing else really bothers you."[[/folder]]

[[folder:Theatre]]
* In ''Theatre/AvenueQ'', there is the song "I wish I could go back to college" in which Nicky, Kate, and Princeton [[ExactlyWhatItSaysOnTheTin say they wish they could go back to college]], and in the end they all decide they'd be losers if they went back, because they would be thinking "these kids are so much younger than me".
[[/folder]]

* ''Film/LarryCrowne'' is a fairly realistic version: Larry went into the Navy right out of college. When he gets fired from his job for not having a college diploma, he goes to community college to have a better chance on the job market.

* Lampshaded in the episode of ''WesternAnimation/{{Futurama}}'' where Fry has to prove he has what it takes to be a College Dropout after Leela told him that the increase in education standards put him on the level of a ''high school'' dropout. He was formerly a dropout of Coney Island University ([[GettingCrapPastTheRadar Go White Fish!]])

In RealLife, adults furthering their education by returning to school is a fairly common occurrence--and one that can happen for any number of reasons, even out of a genuine love of learning.

!!Examples

[[folder:Anime and Manga]]

[[folder:Films -- Animated]]
* In ''WesternAnimation/AnExtremelyGoofyMovie'', Goofy had to return to college (and the same one his son Max was attending, no less!) to get a job. With the ''Goof Troop'' example below, this implicitly means that Goofy did this ''twice''.
* In ''WesternAnimation/MonstersUniversity'', Don has joined Oozma Kappa after he was downsized from his sales department. Averted in that none of his humour is about his age, rather than that he's still sticking with his well-polished sales persona and patter in a fraternity environment. This is itself averted [[spoiler:in the final act when it's revealed that he's engaged to his fraternity President's mother; and will now be his big brother as well as a step-father]]

[[folder: Newspaper Comics]]
* In ''Broom Hilda,'' the title character, a 1,500-year-old witch, decides to complete her education by enrolling in [[ExaggeratedTrope first grade]]. Her [[TheLadette ladette]] behaviour results in her repeatedly being sent to the corner with a DunceCap.
--> '''Teacher:''' Recess time! Can anyone suggest a nice game?\\
'''Broom Hilda:''' I can. And it's educational, too! See these dice, kids? You can learn countin' from 'em! Now, who has lunch money?
[[/folder]]

* An episode of ''WesternAnimation/TheSimpsons'' had Homer go to college to attain his degree in nuclear physics (because he works at a nuclear power plant, people -- it just makes sense). The joke was that he kept on expecting college life to be like a [[WackyFratBoyHijinx raunchy frat comedy]] (like the one he was watching called ''School of Hard Knockers'') and [[WrongGenreSavvy kept on being dumbfounded when it wasn't.]]
** There was an earlier episode where he had to take a night course run by his old high school principal because he never finished remedial science. His final exam gives us a classic:
--->'''Homer:''' All right brain, you don't like me and I don't like you, so let's just do this and I can get back to killing you with beer.
--->'''Homer's Brain:''' It's a deal.

* In an episode of ''WesternAnimation/HeyArnold'', Arnold's 81-year-old grandfather, who dropped out due to the Great Depression, goes back to elementary school. He quickly advances to the sixth grade, and then becomes a delinquent, before becoming a good student again and graduating.
** And dates [[{{Squick}} sixth grade girls.]]

* ''WesternAnimation/TheFlintstones'' had an episode where Fred has to attend classes in high school and it's a struggle. However, he's a whiz in the local geology course, which he notes he learned the hard way considering he works in a quarry.

* An Al Brodax ''{{Popeye}}'' cartoon had Popeye consigned to school after Olive spurns him for being an "uneducated ignoramus." He starts at grade 7, but his constant hilarious answers for basic questions cause him to regress a grade each time until he winds up in kindergarten.
-->'''7th grade teacher:''' What did Caesar say when Brutus stabbed him?
-->'''Popeye:''' He said, "Ouch!"
-->'''6th grade teacher:''' What is the difference between a verb and an adverb?
-->'''Popeye:''' A voib is an animal, and an advoib is a female voib!

* The Gangreen Gang are forced back to kindergarten in ''WesternAnimation/ThePowerpuffGirls'' episode "Schoolhouse Rocked."

[[folder: Real Life ]]

* In ''WesternAnimation/AnExtremelyGoofyMovie'', Goofy had to return to college (and the same one his son Max was attending, no less!) to get a job.

* ''WesternAnimation/GoofTroop'' actually had an episode where Goofy had to repeat ''grade school''.

* A central theme of ''VisualNovel/WhenHeavenSpitsYouOut'' Part 1, which shows Ryan finish Elementary School and move on to High School by the end.

** [[YourCheatingHeart And dates]] [[{{Squick}} sixth grade girls.]]

However, in the realm of movies and TV, this situation is looked upon as purely humorous. Plots in which the main adult character--and it usually ''is'' [[LoserProtagonist the lead]]; only occasionally will you see a more minor character as the focus of this sort of story--has to return to school are pretty much exclusive to the comedy genre.

Your average John Q. Dropout's reason for completing his education is nearly always related to his career, sometimes to obtain a new job requiring a higher degree of education and other times because his current job demands it. Stupidity and incompetence will often be [[LampshadeHanging lampshaded]]. The character will often be thrown amongst people outside their age group, or at least act in that way. In situations involving a character being [[FountainOfYouth de-aged]], this is a result of CompulsorySchoolAge.

* In ''WesternAnimation/AnExtremelyGoofyMovie'', Goofy had to return to college (and the same one his son, Max, was attending, no less!) to get a job.

[[folder: Literature ]]

[[folder: Live Action TV ]]

* Done in an episode of ''Series/{{Friends}}'' where Phoebe wants to do a literature course, but has it ruined by Rachel who doesn't take it seriously. For a moment it looks like they'll subvert it by having Phoebe give a genuinely impassioned explanation of how she never got to go to high-school and genuinely wanted to learn something, only to go straight back to comedy by having neurotic control-freak overachiever Monica accompany her next-time.

* The central premise of ''Series/StrangersWithCandy'': Jerri Blank dropped out of high school and became "a boozer, a user and a loser", but decides to clean up her act and go back to school - aged 46.
--> "If I don't graduate by the time I'm fifty, I'll be the laughingstock of Flatpoint High!"

* In ''Series/PhilOfTheFuture'', Phil has to take a second grade class on penmanship.

* In an episode of ''Series/TheSuiteLifeOnDeck'', Kirby joins Ms Tutwiler's class because he never finished high school. Unfortunately, he becomes too stressed out to take the final exam and Zack and Cody must find a way to prepare him so he can graduate.

* This was the premise of the Rhea Perlman SitCom ''Series/{{Pearl}}''. Pearl was a mature woman from modest up-bringings. When she realized she had missed out on a lot, she decided to go back to college, in spite of her grown son's protests. She made a bunch of new, but weird, friends and was constantly in conflict with her snob philosophy professor (played by Creator/MalcolmMcDowell).
* The entire premise of ''Series/{{Community}}'' is that the main character is a lawyer who is forced to go back to college and earn his bachelor's after the bar association learned that his degree wasn't from Columbia University but from a school in the country of ''Colombia''. It is also revealed that [[spoiler:Senor Chang]] did the same thing and will be coming back as a student. Shirley went back to school to acquire the business education so she could start her own company. Britta is trying to get a college degree so she could get a better job than waiting tables or bar tending. Pierce and Leonard are retired elderly people who attend college because they are lonely and want to be around people. Pierce is independently wealthy and has been going to Greendale Community College for the 10 years when he meets the rest of the study group.

** In the DVDCommentary, Smith says he liked the idea of sending Jay and Silent bob back to HighSchool and the only reason why he hasn't done it is the royalties he'd have to pay the Degrassi people.

* In a season 2 episode of ''Series/RaisingHope'' Jimmy, thinking that Hope will be smarter than him, goes back to high school to receive his GED (he quit at 17), Virginia and Burt also re-enroll in high school (due to the fact the they dropped out while Virginia was pregnant with Jimmy).

[[folder: Theatre ]]

[[folder: Web Comics ]]

[[folder: Western Animation ]]

* An episode of ''WesternAnimation/TheSimpsons'' had Homer go to college to attain his degree in nuclear physics (because he works at a nuclear power plant, people--it just makes sense). The joke was that he kept on expecting college life to be like a [[WackyFratBoyHijinx raunchy frat comedy]] (like the one he was watching called ''School of Hard Knockers'') and [[WrongGenreSavvy kept on being dumbfounded when it wasn't.]]

--> '''Homer:''' All right brain, you don't like me and I don't like you, so let's just do this and I can get back to killing you with beer.
--> '''Homer's Brain:''' It's a deal.

** Peter also had to go back to school and finish the third grade in order to get a promotion at the brewery. HilarityEnsues and like in the toad episode he starts believing he was a real third grader and acting as such, including getting Quagmire to pose as his father so he could leave school to attend a ball game.

* WesternAnimation/{{Beetlejuice}} in the cartoon, has to finish kindergarten in order earn his license back. His license to drive people crazy, that is.
* ''WesternAnimation/IAmWeasel'' and I. R. Baboon had to return to third grade because of a typo. If they don't, Weasel won't be allowed to keep his Nobel Prizes and Baboon won't be allowed to keep the banana he got as a consolation prize. Weasel's tendencies to overcomplicate third grade questions made it hard for him but they eventually passed. However, someone pointed out another typo, showing it was ''fourth'' grade they hadn't finished. It was revealed the Red Guy was the typist.