History Main / HeldBackInSchool

* Hagakure from DanganRonpa, who was held back atleast two years. He's a bit... [[CloucCuckooLander off.]]

There is an additional more extreme version of this where a character is forced to retake multiple all at once; a 10 year-old being forced back to Kindergarten to relearn the alphabet. Or forcing one character to perpetually retake their current grade ending up with a 15 year-old learning about the RomanEmpire with 8 year-olds.

Not to be confused with BackToSchool; which is about adults returning to school. Or with with DawsonCasting, which is where everybody just looks like they've been held back.

* Emi Ibarazaki from KatawaShoujo. She's one year older than Hisao and the other girls; considering that she lost her legs in an accident and spent at least year in rehabilitation, it's fully understandable.

* In ''KingOfQueens'', Doug's parents admit to him that he had to repeat kindergarten. At the time they had told him it was "Super Kindergarten".

* BenAffleck's Fred O'Bannion, from ''DazedAndConfused''.

* Unknown {{Popeye}} Cartoon: Olive Oyl refuses to date popeye unless he can get an "edumacation": he first starts out in the eighth grade but bungles so many times that he eventually gets demoted all the way to Kindergarten.

* ''WesternAnimation/FamilyGuy'': In one episode, Peter Griffin encounters an angry bear while on a hunting trip with his son, and his life flashes before his eyes. Twice, Peter sees himself being told by the principal that he'll have to repeat 8th grade, then his final memory before catching up with the present:
-->'''Principal:''' Congratulation Peter, you finally passed the eight grade!

* Marcus Flint from the ''Literature/HarryPotter'' series had to repeat his seventh per WordOfGod.

Not to be confused with BackToSchool; which is about adults returning to school. Or with with DawsonCasting, which is were everybody just looks like they've been held back.

!Examples:

* Marcus Flint from the ''Franchise/HarryPotter'' series had to repeat his seventh per WordOfGod.

* In ''Series/RedDwarf'', we are led to believe that Ace Rimmer progressed normally at school while Rimmer was held back. However, it's revealed that the opposite is true: Ace was held back, which made him work harder at life.
* In order to keep the some of the cast still in high school past graduation, ''[[Series/{{Degrassi DegrassiTheNextGeneration]]'' held a few students back. Spinner ended up repeating his junior year, due to his expulsion regarding the school shooting and zero tolerance for bullying. Jimmy missed too many days due to his rehabilitation after being paralyzed in said shooting and had to repeat his senior year. Alex graduated, but then came back for a "Victory Lap" in order to boost her grades for university.

* ''WesternAnimation/TheSimpsons'' episode "Bart Gets An F" revolves around Bart attempting to avoid this.
** Another episode of ''The Simpsons'' had Lisa promoted from 2nd grade to the 3rd, and Bart demoted from the 4th to the 3rd.

* Sheen, The sidekick in ''[[WesternAnimation/TheAdventuresOfJimmyNeutronBoyGenius JimmyNeutron]]'' may also have been held back (or in danger of same).

* In ''PhilOfTheFuture'' Phil is sent back to second grade to gain legible handwriting, because by the time the Diffy's came from, handwriting is essentially obsolete.

* In ''WesternAnimation/TheSimpsons'' When Sideshow Bob was elected mayor, Bart was demoted to Kindergarten as revenge for getting him sent to prison in the first place.

* ''WesternAnimation/FamilyGuy'': In one episode, Peter Griffin encounters an angry bear while on a hunting trip with his son, and his life flashes before his eyes. Twice, Peter sees himself being told by the principle that he'll have to repeat 8th grade, then his final memory before catching up with the present:

* This happening to Shogo Kawada is the reason he had to participate in ''Literature/BattlerRoyale's'' Program not once, but twice.

* ''WesternAnimation/HeyArnold'' had Torvald, a boy who had been held back in fourth grade for several years.

* Tomoe from ''SasamekiKoto'' had to skip a year in order to save her family's company from bankruptcy (yeah, she is a TeenGenius, alright), so she is basically one year older than the rest of the cast.
* I don't remember that Tomoya was ever held back a year in VisualNovel/{{Clannad}}. Nagisa definitely was, but as far as I remember, Tomoya (and everyone else save Tomoyo, a year behind) was a year younger than her.
** The protagonist and the main Love Interest in ''VisualNovel/{{Clannad}}'' were both held back a year. While one was held back for delinquency, the other was held back for illness.
* Millay Ashford in ''CodeGeass'' deliberately held herself a back a year so she could be with her friends longer. She was unwilling to leave home and join the real world.
* In ''SandChronicles'' after disappearing for a few months, Fuji comes back to school...and has to repeat the year.

* Josh Hartnett's Zeke Tyler, from ''TheFaculty''.

* Seth Green's Daniel "Oz" Osbourne, from ''BuffyTheVampireSlayer''.

* In ''RedDwarf'', we are led to believe that Ace Rimmer progressed normally at school while Rimmer was held back. However, it's revealed that the opposite is true: Ace was held back, which made him work harder at life.
* In order to keep the some of the cast still in high school past graduation, ''DegrassiTheNextGeneration'' held a few students back. Spinner ended up repeating his junior year, due to his expulsion regarding the school shooting and zero tolerance for bullying. Jimmy missed too many days due to his rehabilitation after being paralyzed in said shooting and had to repeat his senior year. Alex graduated, but then came back for a "Victory Lap" in order to boost her grades for university.

* On ''ArrestedDevelopment'' this has happened to Steve Holt three times. There's a FreezeFrameBonus when his various yearbooks are shown and his most recent quote is "study hard guys - trust me"

* ''TheSimpsons'' episode "Bart Gets An F" revolves around Bart attempting to avoid this.
** Another episode of ''TheSimpsons'' had Lisa promoted from 2nd grade to the 3rd, and Bart demoted from the 4th to the 3rd.
* Binky on ''{{Arthur}}'' is in his 2nd year of 3rd grade.

** Also on ''{{Arthur}}'' Brain's deep dark secret is that he was held back in kindergarten.
* Francis, lybully on FairlyOddparents comes to mind at once.
* Sheen, JimmyNeutron sidekick may also have been held back (or in danger of same).

* ''FamilyGuy'': In one episode, Peter Griffin encounters an angry bear while on a hunting trip with his son, and his life flashes before his eyes. Twice, Peter sees himself being told by the principle that he'll have to repeat 8th grade, then his final memory before catching up with the present:

* ''MyLittlePonyFriendshipIsMagic:'' In [[Recap/MyLittlePonyFriendshipIsMagicS2E3LessonZero "Lesson Zero"]], Twilight Sparkle (who panics and assumes the worst consequences any time the possibility of failing Princess Celestia comes up) becomes convinced that, if she's tardy in sending her weekly letter to Celestia, she'll be sent all the way back to Magic Kindergarten.

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Not to be confused with BackToSchool which is about adults returning to school. Not to be confused with DawsonCasting, which is were everybody just looks like they've been held back.

Lavan in ''[[HeraldsOfValdemar Brightly Burning]]'' not technically being dropped back a few grades, because it's implied he was home-schooled before being sent to the BoardingSchoolOfHorrors. But he ''is'' placed with much younger students based on his prior education.

Pupils in a school setting generally advance up in Years or Grades as they age up and each new year they expand upon the knowledge they should already know. However sometimes the student in question is forced to remain in their current year while all their peers advance to the next stage. Maybe they're [[SchoolIsForLosers too cool for school]] and doesn't work hard, or maybe the sad truth is that it really was the best they could do; but just can't memorize all 50 states of the [=USA=]. Either way he gets forced to repeat the year/grade with people younger than themselves. This is TruthInTelevision.

* ''FamilyGuy'': In one episode, Peter Griffin encounters an angry bear while on a hunting trip with his son, and his life flashes before his eyes. Twice, Peter sees himself being told by the principle that he'll have to repeat 8th grade, then his final memory before catching up with the present:
-->'''Principal:''' Congratulation Peter, you finally passed the eight grade!
-->'''Peter:''' That's great, but I gotta leave for a hunting trip with my son.
* ''MyLittlePonyFriendshipIsMagic:'' In [[Recap/MyLittlePonyFriendshipIsMagicS2E3LessonZero "Lesson Zero"]], Twilight Sparkle (who panics and assumes the worst consequences any time the possibility of failing Princess Celestia comes up) becomes convinced that, if she's tardy in sending her weekly letter to Celestia, she'll be sent all the way back to Magic Kindergarten.

* * The protagonist and the main Love Interest in ''VisualNovel/{{Clannad}}'' were both held back a year. While one was held back for delinquency, the other was held back for illness.