"Last Day of School" Plot

The bell rings, school's done! Time for eight straight weeks of sun and fun!

What time is it? Summertime!
It's our vacation!
What time is it? Party time!
That's right, say it loud!
What time is it? The time of our lives!
Anticipation!
What time is it? Summertime!
School's out, scream and shout!

— High School Musical 2 cast, "What Time Is It?"

Yes! Finally! It's the day everyone's been waiting for all school year long before a big summer vacation of fun! It's...THE LAST DAY OF SCHOOL!

Many things happen on the last day of school, such as last-minute preparations, cramming, anticipation, and trying to admit one's feelings to someone special. Episodes don't always involve the last day. The plot may take place on the last few days, and it can expand beyond the last day in some cases.

Characters may also learn An Aesop based on whatever they experience.

The opposite of the First Day of School Episode. Sometimes involves a High-School Dance as prom is often set on the last day of school for efficiency's sake. Can overlap with Graduate from the Story or Senior Year Struggles if the plot of a work features the last day of school and builds to the graduation ceremony, though many schools hold graduation a few days before the last day of school. See also Summer School Sucks, if the student's grades are failing or incomplete, and can't enjoy their last day of the academic year.

---

Examples:

Anime & Manga

• The thirtieth chapter of Asteroid in Love is about the activities of the Earth Sciences Club on last day of school, when Mikage and Mari are going to Graduate from the Story. We see younger members of the club giving souvenirs to the two graduates, and they take a group photo◊. The main emphasis of the chapter, though, is Mari—she recalls the early days when the Astronomy (which she belonged to) and Geology clubs were merged by administrative fiat, and questioned whether she enjoyed the club or not. She is surprised by the album the underclassmen give her, as it shows she did.
• The last sketch in the last episode of the Daily Lives of High School Boys anime skips forward to the last day of school. All the characters are graduating, complete with Cherry Blossoms, and all of the characters' individual subplots are resolved (Hidenori and Literature Girl finally get together). This turns out to be All Just a Dream by Tadakuni, and what's actually happening is a reprise of the first episode's Late for School plot. The narrator assures the audience that the characters will remain in high school forever.
• The series finale of Ojamajo Doremi revolves around Doremi trapping herself inside the magic shop, not wanting to graduate because she knows all of her best friends will leave her behind.
• In My Monster Secret, Shiragami Genjirou warned Shiragami Youko, her daughter, that if it was ever revealed that she is a vampire, she will be taken out from school. Hours before her graduation, her secret was revealed to the entire student body. But thanks to Asahi and the friends they made all the way, she was accepted by everyone.
  • Shiragami Genjirou's warning to her daughter was due to his own experience when he was in high school. When he was exposed as a vampire, the whole student body, including his best friends, were so horrified of him and kicked him out of school. Only his wife, then girlfriend, Toko, stuck by him.

Comic Strip

• Done annually in Big Nate: the last day of school also happens to be "Prank Day", so each arc is usually dedicated to Nate pulling increasingly-outlandish pranks on the school faculty.
• Crabgrass: This comic, Kevin and his teacher Mrs. Campbell celebrate the last day of summer.

Films — Animation

• A Goofy Movie: The first act takes place on the final day of school with a musical number, "After Today," about the kids excited for summer and Max planning to tell Roxanne how he feels. Afterwards, Max puts on an impromptu concert as the superstar of the time-Powerline. However, he ends up getting caught, which prompts his principal to phone Goofy and give an over-exaggerated speech about Max turning into a criminal. This, in turn, prompts Goofy to do the road trip that drives the plot.
• Recess: School's Out: The first act of the film has the Recess gang celebrating the end of the school year, while the rest of the film revolves around them saving summer vacation when a mean teacher schemes to create a permanent winter for the sake of higher test grades.
• Teacher's Pet: The theatrical film that served to wrap up the series starts the plot with the last day of school at Fala D. Roosevelt Elementary School, where Mrs. Helperman's class tells everyone else what they intend to do for the summer.
• Tiny Toon Adventures: How I Spent My Vacation: The first musical number has the cast waiting for the final bell of the final day of school to come, while likewise listing what they plan to do for summer vacation.

Films — Live-Action

• The first few minutes of Camp Rock take place on Mitchie's last day of school.
• Dazed and Confused takes place on the last day of school in 1976, and it follows the interconnecting plots of several groups of students on the last day.
• Grease: In a departure from the original stage version, Grease takes place over the course of the gang's senior year, with the final carnival scene taking place on the last day of school.
• Heavyweights: The film opens with a school hallway clock showing the last few seconds on the last day of school. Then, students throw loose leaf paper (both in the hallway and outside the school building). Gerry and a friend come upon two students making out, and then his friend points out that his bus is leaving without him. After he walks home, he finds his parents and a representative from Camp Hope in the living room, where they announce their plans to have him attend the camp.
• The first scene of High School Musical 2 revolves around the last day of school, with the rest of the film taking place at Sharpay's family's summer lodge.

Live-Action TV

• The House of Anubis TV-Movie The Touchstone of Ra focuses on the students about to graduate from high-school. They do the obligatory "throw all the papers into the air" scene, all rush around preparing to graduate, and also pass-the-torch to three freshmen who have to move into the House at the same time they're leaving. This also doubles as the series' Stock Sitcom Grand Finale.
• The Inbetweeners: The episode "Exam Time" focuses on the end of the term, and the climax takes place on the last day of school. The characters prepare for their exams and vow to meet up at the pub after they are over. The pub night serves as a sort of Book Ends to the pub night the boys much less successfully attended the first week of school in the first episode — Will actually gets served this time and proceeds to get trashed, and the rest of them bond as they comfort Jay (whose new girlfriend just dumped him), and Will reminisces about their year together.
• Little Lunch: The Grand Finale "The Nightmare Before Graduation" is set during the last week of school, and culminates on the last, with Rory having to take a makeup test to see if he passes Grade 6, and the others being to worried to really enjoy the moment.
• The Ned's Declassified School Survival Guide episode "The Last Day" focuses on the last day of school and Ned trying to reveal his feelings to Suzie.
• Unfabulous had two. "The Last Day of Seventh Grade" focused on Addie trying to tell how she feels to Jake before the end of seventh grade. The Grand Finale "The Best Trip Ever" focused on Addie's final day at middle school and planning a cruise, and discovering her two best friends are in love with each other.

Music

• "Schools Out" by Alice Cooper is iconic. It features in Dazed and Confused.

Theatre

• The final number of A Very Potter Sequel, "Days of Summer" takes place as all the characters are preparing to head home for the summer and take the Hogwarts Express home. Harry sings about how sad he is to be leaving all his friends for the summer, until his friends remind him that "We have these days of summer to remind us of each other" and appreciate the rest of the year all the more. This segues into a reprise of "Back to Hogwarts", the Signature Song from the first show, which serves as the show's Curtain Call.

Web Animation

• The My Little Pony: Equestria Girls Digital Series episode "The Last Day of School" revolves around Twilight and Rainbow's perspectives on how they see the last day of school. Twilight panics as she has lots of work to finish as possible and worries she'll be unable to finish it by the time the day ends, while Rainbow is excited for summer vacation and can't wait for the day to end, especially when the class has to watch a Daring Do movie.
• Teen Girl Squad Issue 14 is set on the last day of school with bizarre versions of usual last day trappings: yearbook, final exams, cleaning out the school locker, the quarterback admitting his crush on The Ugly One of all people, and, of course, the deaths of three of the girls.

Web Comics

• The El Goonish Shive storylines "What is Love" and "End of Spring" (the latter beginning the "Summer" arc) are set at the end of the school year, including Cutaway Gags of the same stock extras celebrating that it's almost summer and panicking about finals.

Western Animation

• Arthur: "The Last Day" is the finale of the nineteenth season. It follows three subplots about the last day of school: Arthur and his third grade class want to make sure they get a good teacher for fourth grade, and preschoolers Bud and D.W. don't feel like they're ready for "big kid" school. Muffy and Francine's plot revolves around the latter not liking the summer camp the former wants her to attend. In the end, Arthur's class learns to appreciate Mr. Ratburn as their teacher for all he has done, while D.W. and Bud practice hard and gain confidence. Francine ends up going to a different camp than Muffy, but they make a blog to stay in contact.
• Daria had two, both as TV movies.
  • Is It Fall Yet? begins on the last day of Daria's junior year of high school, with the rest of the movie taking place during summer vacation and eventually the first day of the next school year.
  • Is It College Yet? takes place during the last few days of Daria's senior year leading up to her graduation.
• Doug: "Doug Graduates", the penultimate episode of the Nickelodeon series, takes place on the final day of school and Doug's final day in elementary. The plot focuses on his reluctance about the future going forward.
• The Fairly Oddparents had three.
  • The first was "Timvisible", which focused on Timmy turning invisible on the last day of school to avoid Francis right before he is to accept a big award.
  • Then there's "Shelf Life", which revolved around the kids being let out for summer vacation but forced to write a 500-page book report. The rest of the episode is set on the last day before school begins, with the final scene being the first day back in school.
  • The Musical Episode "School's Out: The Musical" is all about this, even right there in the title. It focuses on the children of Dimmsdale being out for summer vacation, but the parents send them to a boring summer camp to get them to behave. As revenge, Timmy wishes kids ruled the world. This all goes downhill as since the world is now a fun place to live, the children are so happy they no longer need their fairy godparents. Fairy World is taken over by pixies, no doubt their plan all along.
• The final episode of Fish Hooks focuses on the gang's final week at Freshwater High before their graduation day.
• Kim Possible: The final two-part episode leads up to the final day of school in which Kim and Ron are set to graduate, though Ron is scared Kim will leave him behind afterwards. On the day of, an alien invasion crashes the graduation just as it set to start.
• Littlest Pet Shop (2012): The Season 1 finale, "Summertime Blues", focuses on the end of Blythe's first year of school in Downtown City and accepting to go to fashion camp over the summer.
• My Life as a Teenage Robot: In "Tuckered Out", Tuck's second grade class are approaching their last day of school, and most of the students are going to advance to the third grade. Unfortunately, Tuck is the only student struggling to keep up with the others, and the only way for him to pass is to do a presentation on the person he admires most. He decides to make a movie about Jenny, but he becomes a huge Prima Donna Director towards her, Brad, and Sheldon. On the last day of school and the day of the presentation, Jenny, Brad, and Sheldon get back at Tuck by showing a montage of embarrassing old home movies of him. Fortunately, Tuck passes anyway because his teacher mistakes the home movies for an autobiography.
• The Peanuts animated special You're in Love, Charlie Brown takes place during the last several days of the school year as Charlie Brown attempts to finally get an opportunity to speak with The Little Red-Haired Girl.
• The Simpsons:
  • A sizable portion of the episode "Kamp Krusty" actually covers the last day of Springfield Elementary's school year, with Bart trying to forge higher report card grades so his parents will let him go to camp, the entire school counting down to dismissal, and a teacher telling kids how World War II ended before letting them leave.
  • "Summer of 4'2" begins at the end of school when everyone gets their yearbooks. No one wants to sign Lisa's yearbook, which motivates her to make new friends when the family vacations in another town.

---