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General

Wagstaff is a K-8 school that the Belcher and Pesto children attend along with their peers. The series regularly indicates that the school is underperforming due to poor funding as well as apathy and idiocy from both the students and staff.

Adults Are Useless: Nearly the entire faculty has next-to-no competency in actually helping the students when there is a real problem, with Mr. Frond being the most egregious example. The only adults who can really be called reliable are Ms. Jacobson (the most level-headed and normal teacher) and Mr. Branca (who is the janitor and not even a teacher).
Apathetic Teacher: Ms. LaBonz is the most blatant about it, but most if not all of her colleagues are also apathetic in some way, with even the nicer teachers being more resigned to the job than anything.
Book Dumb: Zigzagged. According to Louise, the students are pretty immature and a few episodes imply that at least a good chunk of the Wagstaff student body perform poorly in academics. However, a few other episodes also imply that the other portion of Wagstaff students can do pretty well in specific events, such as the Science Fair (where students touched upon some pretty good topics) and successfully reading 500 books with a complete report over said books.
Elevator School: Though it's never outright stated (the school's full name is simply "Wagstaff School"), all signs point to Wagstaff being a K-8 school, given the prominent blend of elementary and middle school students coupled with the complete absence of high school students. This conveniently lets the Belchers all attend the same school together despite the four-year age gap between Tina and Louise.
Four-Philosophy Ensemble: The main faculty members: Mr. Branca (optimist), Ms. Jacobson (realist), Mr. Ambrose and Ms. LaBonz (cynics), Coach Blevins (apathetic), Mr. Frond (conflicted).
Kids Are Cruel: Zigzagged, as most of the students aren't so much cruel, as they are indifferent and apathetic, having little to no concern for anything that's going on, including bullying. In fact, many students are shown to either laugh along with the bullies like Tammy or Chloe, or otherwise completely ignoring what's happening to victimized students.
Lackof Empathy: If something bad is happening, at least 95 percent of the students and teachers will hardly react let along attempt to do anything, probably because they're all resigned to the daily chaos that goes on at their school.
No Full Name Given: Phillip Frond and Matilda Merkin are the only two faculty members to have both a known first and last name. Nurse Liz has no known last name; the other faculty members have no known first name.
Sucky School: The teachers are all either apathetic or incompetent and completely overlook any real problem such as the bullying the students face, many of the students themselves are just as bad, and there appears to be a significant funding problem (not helped by the fact that the staff misuse whatever funds they do get).

Staff

Principal Spoors

https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/spoors.jpg

That's all we see of the dude.

The unseen principal of Wagstaff. As the top brass of the school, the staff often walks on eggshells around him—especially Mr. Frond, who's terrified of him. Despite this, his authority is undermined by the fact that he can't be bothered to even show up to work. Due to his constant absences, his many tasks are handled by Mr. Frond, which may contribute to Wagstaff's status as a Sucky School.

Ambiguous Situation: In "The Fresh Princ-Ipal", it's revealed that he has a brother-in-law named Don (who was in the running to replace Mr. Frond as a guidance counselor). It's never clarified if Don married Spoors's sibling or if Spoors married Don's sibling, or even some combination of the two. The ambiguity is exaggerated to the point that Don himself doesn't even know.
Don: He married my sister. Or I married his sister. Anyway, one of those sisters nagged him into giving me a job.
Big Damn Heroes: Pulls this in "Touch of Eval(uations)" without even showing up. When Louise attempts to reverse her crappy evaluation of Ms. LaBonz, Mr. Frond refuses to count it. However, it's later revealed that Spoors overheard Louise and overruled Frond, giving Ms. LaBonz a high enough score to win the coveted main lot parking spot.
The Dreaded: The faculty does not want to get on his bad side. The final scene of "The Runway Club" is Mr. Frond running away in absolute terror to avoid meeting with him.
The Faceless / The Ghost: The only time he appears is at the end of "The Runway Club", but just from the neck down (and only for a couple seconds anyway). Every other time, he's conveniently off on some random errand whenever he should otherwise logically appear.
Hypocrite: It's never discussed, but it's awfully odd that Spoors tries to fire Frond for failing to do his job properly even though Spoors never does his job (to the point that Frond himself has to handle every task that should logically go to Spoors).
Meaningful Name: A spoor is physical evidence (usually a track) that an animal has passed by without seeing the animal itself, fitting how Principal Spoors's influence is felt despite him never featuring onscreen.
Nepotism: When he fires Frond in "The Fresh Princ-Ipal" (it doesn't last), Spoors's candidate for Frond's replacement just so happens to be his brother-in-law Don, who outright states that Spoors was pushed to hire him by a mutual relative. Whatever non-nepotism reason Spoors could have had to hire Don is rendered moot by the fact that Don is completely unqualified for the job in ways even the extremely incompetent Frond would be qualified in.
Only Sane Man: He's never onboard with any of Frond's crazy ideas. For instance, when Frond tries to make "Scared Fabulous" a thing in "The Runway Club", Spoors calls and tells him he hates the idea, to go back to normal detention, and to never call him on the weekends again.
The Pirates Who Don't Do Anything: Despite logically being the most powerful faculty member in Wagstaff, he's never actually seen doing anything (owing to the fact that he's never been seen period). Everything that he should do (such as leading assemblies) is instead dealt with by Mr. Frond.
Unwitting Instigator of Doom: It's not like he's trying to run his school into the ground, but you get the feeling that Wagstaff would have a lot less issues overall if Spoors kept a personal eye on things rather than delegating all his tasks to a man who's unqualified to do his own job, let alone another person's.

Phillip Frond

Voiced by: David Herman

The school guidance counselor. A pathetic and egotistical man who's disliked by kids and adults alike, especially Bob and Louise.

See here for tropes applying to Phillip Frond.

Ms. Jacobson

Voiced by: Melissa Bardin Galsky (Seasons 2 to 10); Ashley Nicole Black (Season 12)

Ms. Jacobson is an eighth grade teacher at Wagstaff, making her the current teacher for Tina, Jimmy Jr., Jocelyn, Zeke, and Tammy. She's probably one of the few genuinely normal teachers the school has.

Beauty Equals Goodness: She's the most attractive teacher at Wagstaff and also the nicest and most consistently competent.
Characterization Marches On: In her first two appearances, Ms. Jacobson appears as inept as the rest of Wagstaff's faculty, or at least close to it (primarily in "Broadcast Wagstaff School News", where Tammy makes a fabricated video implicating Tina as the Mad Pooper and Jacobson does nothing to point out how obviously fake the clip is). Starting in "Two for Tina" and carrying over to the rest of her appearances, she's much more competent and rational, to the point that her defining trait is that she's the smart one of her colleagues.
Didn't Think This Through: Often fails to vet student projects beforehand, resulting in such gems as Tammy rambling about Reality Bites and Tina literally just playing a CD of a semi-famous singer. Jacobson lampshades that she should probably start paying more attention.
Even the Girls Want Her: Linda, who otherwise shows attraction solely towards men, thinks she's good looking and at one point outright tells her such to her face. (Though she was absolutely hammered at the time.)
Everyone is Jesus in Purgatory: In-universe; in "Li'l Hard Dad" she interprets Tina's mid-presentation Freak Out as a symbolic representation of the savage themes of The Call of the Wild. Nobody corrects her.
Hot Teacher: She's a rather pretty woman, and Linda and especially Bob think so; Bob calls her 'ridiculously attractive'.
Bob: Why is she a teacher? She should be, like, playing a teacher on TV.
Nice Girl: Despite being exasperated with her wacky students and her job in general, Ms. Jacobson is a perfectly fair and reasonable woman who is also consistently nice to her student Tina, often letting her say what she needs to say and is pretty patient even with the likes of Tammy and Jocelyn in her class.
Only Sane Woman: Of the faculty of Wagstaff, given that Ms. Jacobson is the most normal and level-headed one compared to the rest of her colleagues, many of whom are are quirky, morally questionable or just plain crazy.
Reasonable Authority Figure: She's the only normal teacher in all of Wagstaff who can do her job in teaching the students properly, unlike the rest of the staff members whom have all somehow abused their authority as teachers and occasionally harass the students.
Surrounded by Idiots: On the one hand there's the rest of Wagstaff's incompetent and assholish teachers, and on the other hand there's Wagstaff's incompetent and assholish students (not to mention Jacobson personally teaches both Tammy and Jocelyn). It's amazing Jacobson still has the amount of patience she does.

Ms. Twitchell

Voiced by: Tymberlee Hill

Ms. Twitchell is a sixth grade teacher at Wagstaff, making her the current teacher for Gene, Courtney, Alex, and Peter Pescadero.

Out of Focus: Because Gene is rarely actually seen in class (as very few of the supporting characters are in sixth grade), Ms. Twitchell is rarely seen, in contrast to the other teachers of the Belcher kids (Jacobson and LaBonz). It took until "The Gene & Courtney Show" for her to debut, and she only has three speaking roles in the series.
Suddenly Voiced: Hearing her speak in "Touch of Eval(uations)" definitely comes across this way—while not her first speaking role overall, it's her first speaking role in six seasons.
The Voiceless: Most of her appearances don't have her speak at all.

Ms. LaBonz

Voiced by: H. Jon Benjamin

Ms. LaBonz is a fourth grade teacher at Wagstaff, making her the current teacher for Louise, Andy, Ollie, and Rudy. She's generally cranky and tough to everyone, and the only thing keeping her from being a complete jerkass is that she's way too apathetic to actually care about being mean.

Apathetic Teacher: The sooner she can get to the end of the day and get away from her students, the better. She's even known to have called in sick just to avoid teaching, and during field trips she often just sits back on her phone not doing anything.
LaBonz: As You Know, this Friday is the overnight class lock-in at the Bog Harbor Aquarium, which is great, because there's nothing teachers love more than not going home.
Blatant Lies: She claims it's her birthday in "Land of the Loft". Believable on its own, except she also tells the operators at Pickles that she's 21.
The Bore: "The Gene & Courtney Show" reveals that her way of doing the school announcements is so boring they'll even bring in kids just to replace her.
The Cameo: After making at least one speaking appearance per season, she's Demoted to Extra in Season 11 (appearing twice in-person and once in an Imagine Spot, but all without any lines) before returning to a speaking role in Season 12.
Covert Pervert: Can be seen at Pickles (for reference, a strip club) in "Land of the Loft".
LaBonz: (holding up a $1 bill) George Washington says to get this show on the road!
A Day in the Limelight:
- In a sense. She's usually just a minor character in whatever episode she appears in, but she's upgraded to the main antagonist of Season 8's "Mission Impos-slug-ble", the second half of which primarily takes place at her house.
- She appears much more prominently in "Touch of Eval(uations)", which gives her more depth as a character beyond just being an Apathetic Teacher.
Early-Installment Weirdness: Her voice wasn't as rough in the first few seasons before Season 5 heavily ramped it up. Admittedly, she smokes, so that might be the reason.
Everyone Has Standards: As apathetic as she is, she's horrified when Zeke asks her for cigarettes (he's just trying to drive her away) and tries to convince him that cigarettes aren't cool.
Fat Bastard: She fits the weight category, but her attitude makes her a downplayed example. She isn't particularly mean, but only because she's too apathetic to be such.
Hair-Trigger Temper: Notably in "Wag the Song":
Frond: Today I'm announcing a surprise forced retirement.
LaBonz: You sons of bitches. This is how you spring it on me?! I'm not going anywhere!
Frond: No, no, no, Ms. LaBonz, not you.
LaBonz: Oh.
Hypocritical Humor: For someone who hates her job and students with a passion and also regularly steals from the school, she gets livid when she thinks she's being fired.
Jerk with a Heart of Gold: Despite usually being an Apathetic Teacher with no care for her students, "Touch of Eval(uations)" reveals she genuinely likes Louise (or at least isn't as apathetic to her as she is to the other students), and wants to encourage her to do better.
Jury Duty: In "Teen-A-Witch", which gets Louise out of a book report.
LaBonz: He was guilty. We were done before lunch. I went to the mall for the rest of the day.
Playing Sick: In "Mission Impos-slug-ble", she mentions that she plans on doing this, and one gets the feeling she's done it before.
Refuge in Audacity: Stealing small school supplies that nobody will notice missing is one thing. Stealing an entire printer makes one wonder how she's getting away with it.
Smoky Voice: She smokes regularly (even during school hours), which is the most likely explanation for her deep, gravelly voice.
Sticky Fingers: Often steals supplies from the school. She's caught three times in "Bob Actually" alone, the last of which sees her carry off an entire printer.
LaBonz: By the way, this is from my house and I brought it here, not the other way around. Got it?
Vocal Evolution: Her voice was higher pitched and sounded nasally, but gradually became deeper and rougher, almost akin to Harvey Fierstein. Despite debuting in Season 1, it takes until Season 5 for her voice to reach its current form. Justified, as she's a smoker.

Mr. Ambrose

Voiced by: Billy Eichner

Mr. Ambrose is the librarian and cheerleading coach at Wagstaff. He lives for drama (which he'll do anything to cause), and seems to despise his current job.

The Alcoholic: Drinks on the job. That mug of his isn't coffee, that's for sure.
Ambiguously Bi: In "All That Gene", he's sleeping around with the cast of a play he's in. While Ambrose claims that all of the cast members—including the males—are into him, it's never made clear as to which cast members he personally slept with, just that he slept with at least one of them (because he's also sick with the same flu that was spread via the cast members'... ahem... activities).
Character Tic: He randomly shout-whispers at people to do things they shouldn't if he's in earshot of the conversation.
Mr. Ambrose: Breaking school property? Definitely don't do that. [whispers] Do that! Do that!
Deadpan Snarker: Has his moments, especially in "All That Gene".
Gene: Mr. Ambrose, you're in this play?
Ambrose: No, I was looking for the school library when I got lost and wandered into this building, where am I?
Dork in a Sweater: Generally seen in a blue sweater vest. He's the "not as harmless as he looks" subtype.
Drama Queen: Tends to overreact until he tires himself out. He wanted to be teaching theater, and when he doesn't get it (because Ms. LaBonz beat him to it), he decided to turn the cheerleader squad into a teenage drama story to satisfy his needs for drama, turning them against each other and sabotaging them during a competition.
Todd: You are the worst cheer advisor.
Establishing Character Moment: His opening scene has him shout-whisper at the Belcher kids while calling books stupid, quickly setting up everything one needs to know about his character.
Hates Reading: The irony of him being a librarian who hates books is pointed out almost immediately after his debut.
Irony: Not only is he a librarian who hates books, he's a librarian who's prone to Suddenly Shouting despite working in a setting where doing such is frowned upon.
It Amused Me: The "it" in this case being drama; he will sabotage his own allies or strain familial relationships just because he has the opportunity.
Jerkass: Generally unpleasant towards just about everyone.
Jerkass Has a Point: In "A Few 'Gurt Men", while he falsely accuses Frond of stealing his yogurt, he hits the nail on the head when noting that it's not like anyone else likes Frond either. It's also shown that his accusation, despite being incorrect, has actual basis rather than just being based out of hatred for Frond.
Jerk with a Heart of Gold: In "Gene It On", he leaked the cheerleading squad’s routine to another school just for the drama. However, when the new stunt his cheer squad comes up with almost gets most of them injured, Ambrose runs in to catch the falling kids and take most of the damage. He immediately lampshades it.
Gene: Mr. Ambrose, you saved us! Why?
Ambrose: Because five minutes ago, I started to really care about you kids. What a twist! The jaded cheer advisor has a heart of gold!
Large Ham: When he's not whispering, he's hamming it up.
Magic Librarian: Deconstructed Trope in that he doesn't even like books and practices witchcraft out of frustration more than anything else. Also, the witchcraft doesn't even do anything because, well, it's witchcraft in a show firmly rooted in realism.
The Millstone: The final act of "Gene It On" is because Ambrose loves drama to the point of self-sabotage.
Minor Injury Overreaction: Invoked in "Gene It On", where he uses himself to cushion six falling cheerleaders. While this does injure him, he's deemed okay after a quick check-up by paramedics. He refuses to accept this and demands they carry him off on a stretcher for the sake of drama (which they actually do).
No Name Given: He debuts in "Topsy", but his name is only given in the credits. It's not until his second appearance, "Gene It On", that his name is stated in the episode proper.
Really Gets Around: "All That Gene" reveals he's sleeping with quite a few cast members of A Potluck in the Grass, which causes problems when he catches (and passes on) the flu.
Sarcasm Mode: He loves his sarcasm.
Suddenly Shouting: Basically obligatory when you cast Billy Eichner in a voice role.

Ms. Schnur

Voiced by: Sarah Silverman

Ms. Schnur is the secretary for Principal Spoors.

Fangirl: Of Penny Marshall, to the point she's lured out of her office on the slim chance Penny Marshall might be outside the school looking for a new best friend.
Ms. Schnur: Mr. Frond, if she is out there and I don't go out, I will never forgive myself!
Hidden Depths: She practices martial arts, is close with her nephew, and is apparently friends with Zeke. Some episodes also show she's a movie buff. Gene's story in "The Frond Files" has Schnur's counterpart lured from her office with the mention of a Brendan Fraser DVD, and in "Apple Gore-chard! (But Not Gory)" she's the only character able to recognize that the Belchers are doing a Twister theme (and points out Gene's Bill Paxton costume having the houses and stuff on it rather than Tina's tornado costume is confusing).
Hidden Disdain Reveal: Has shown annoyance towards Principal Spoors's all-too-frequent absences.
Odd Friendship:
- In "Thelma and Louise Except Thelma is Linda," Ms. Schnur yells at Tina, Gene, and Jimmy Jr. for trying to visit Louise in detention, but she asks Zeke if his shorts are new (to which he laughs and says yes) and then shoos him off more gently.
- She gets along fairly well with Louise during "The Fresh Princ-Ipal", if only because Louise gets her access to Principal Spoors' personal bathroom. Schnur still comments that Louise has honestly done a lot of good work in her single day as principal.
Shy Bladder: Afraid to use the restrooms at Wagstaff, but is able to go when using Principal Spoors' personal toilet.
Super Gullible: Will fall for almost anything the kids tell her, even if it's completely farfetched, just because she thinks there's a slim chance they could be telling the truth. Even Mr. Frond has called her out on it.

Mr. Branca

Voiced by: David Herman

Mr. Branca is the janitor for Wagstaff. While he's one of the few faculty members to take his job seriously, he's also a bit out there.

Berserk Button: Stepping on or otherwise dirtying floors he's just cleaned sets him off. It doesn't matter whether it's a student or a teacher, whoever does so will get an earful from him.
Big Damn Heroes: He's the final judge in "The Runway Club", meaning his vote is the one that nets the kids their freedom from detention.
Bunny-Ears Lawyer: He takes his job as a janitor very seriously, and seems to be good at it (in sharp contrast to other faculty members). It's just that he's not entirely there.
Cloud Cuckoolander:
- He claims on two separate occasions that he was the president of his home country before a coup. However, he doesn't really provide much proof.
- He seems to believe the note Tina left that claims he has a secret admirer who found his ladder in the trash and then put it in the ceiling for safekeeping.
- He also has a work crowbar and a personal crowbar but claims the personal one is haunted.
A Day in the Limelight: He has a major role in the B-plot of "FOMO You Didn't" as Louise and Gene are trying to figure out why he keeps mopping the same exact spot on the floor in front of the trophy case every day. Turns out he broke a model ship that Principal Spoors adores and is trying to fix the ship in secret before Spoors notices.
The Generalissimo: He says that in his home country, he was President before a Coup d'état occurred.
The Heavy: In "Yes Without My Zeke", he's the biggest obstacle to the kids' end objective due to being the only faculty member who works at Wagstaff on the weekends (at least prior to Mr. Frond showing up there as well). The kids' attempts to avoid him form a significant portion of the episode.
How the Mighty Have Fallen: Assuming he's right about once being a president of a foreign country, he went from an extremely important political figure (and probably a decently-wealthy one to boot) to a low-income, oft-unappreciated janitor at a Sucky School.
Intergenerational Friendship: He's an old man who considers the 13 year-old Tina his best friend.
Mysterious Past: As noted above, he claims he was the president of his home country before being overthrown, and assuming he's somehow right that's all we really know about him.
Nice Guy: He's more fond of the students than most of the faculty and will look the other way for them.
Non-Specifically Foreign: He isn’t American, and he has a thick accent, but his ethnicity isn’t clear or commented on^note.
Pun-Based Title: He’s in an all-janitors Beach Boys cover band called The Bleach Boys.
Unreliable Expositor: Let's just say you're supposed to take it with a grain of salt when he claims he's the exiled leader of his homeland.

Coach Blevins

Voiced by: Larry Murphy

Coach Blevins is the gym teacher for Wagstaff, though he has been seen teaching other classes across multiple grades.

Drives Like Crazy: Implied; "The Runway Club" reveals he's in traffic school to try and regain his license.
Jack of All Trades: He's primarily a gym teacher, but in "Burger Wars" he can be seen teaching Louise's class science, and in "Work Hard or Die Trying, Girl" he's shown teaching Gene's class algebra.

Nurse Liz

Voiced by: Samantha Bee

Nurse Liz is Wagstaff's... well, nurse. She turns out to be completely insane (moreso than her colleagues), willing to fake a serious lice epidemic to fulfill her desire for something more out of her job.

Bitch in Sheep's Clothing: While she's completely insane, it initially seems like she's just overreacting to a genuine problem... and then it turns out the problem was faked, and she was seriously planning to shave kids' heads and burn Louise's beloved hat just to satisfy her ego.
Blind Without 'Em: She usually wears glasses, but forgot them before going to work. Tina actually exploits this trope to prove that she faked the lice epidemic—Tina points out marks on Liz's nose to prove she does wear glasses in the first place, and concludes that without them Liz couldn't have seen lice on Tammy's head. To seal the deal she makes Liz read a dictionary, and takes notice when Liz has to squint her eyes to do so.
Informed Attribute: She apparently wears glasses, and while it's understandable that the kids wouldn't know this in her debut episode (it's her first day at Wagstaff), she still doesn't wear them when she returns in "Ex Mach Tina", even though her glasses are a major plot point in her debut episode. That said, it's entirely possible she switched to contact lenses to avoid forgetting her glasses again. Or that she outright forgot them again.
Karma Houdini: "Ex Mach Tina" shows her still working as a nurse at Wagstaff, meaning she suffered no consequences for her actions in "Lice Things Are Lice" (besides shaving her head and looking like a maniac, the former of which was only temporary anyways). Considering how desperate the school must've been to hire her in the first place, they probably can't find anyone to replace her.

Mr. Grant

Voiced by: Will Forte

Mr. Grant is a Spanish teacher and A/V advisor at Wagstaff School, specifically for the school news.

Adults Are Useless: In the Season 12 finale, he openly admits to Tina that he's well aware that Tammy and Jocelyn use the school news to bully other students (including Tina herself), but also states that he's not going to to anything about it.
Jerkass: He's clearly biased in favor of Tammy, and he not only ignores bullying but partakes in it himself, openly putting down other kids he's supposed to be supporting.
Mr. Grant: Remember, kids, this is just the student news, no pressure. I'll only be going back frame by frame and critiquing you on eye contact, presentation and how cool you are. (to Large Tommy) You really want to do this?
Large Tommy: (sighs and walks out of the room)
Manchild: Downplayed example, but his obsession with trends and popularity and typical disregard for teaching makes him seem more like a teenager than some of his students.
Skewed Priorities: In "Some Like It Bot Part 1: (Eighth) Grade Runner," Mr. Grant not only chose to use the school's money to buy the "Wow or Weird" touchscreen instead of textbooks, but talked his colleagues into going along with his plan.

Ms. Merkin

Matilda Merkin

Voiced by: Brian Huskey

The music director for all grades at Wagstaff.

Alliterative Name: Matilda Merkin.
Cool Old Lady: Gene calls her his “68-year-old soul sister” in “The Plight Before Christmas.”
Cool Teacher: "The Plight Before Christmas" confirms her as this for Gene, Courtney, and several other students, making her the one teacher at Wagstaff whom kids actually enjoy having (and one of few who's actually competent).
Euphemistic Names: “Merkin” is a term for a pubic wig.
The Glorious War of Sisterly Rivalry: Is often at odds with her sister, Sheila, as shown when Sheila fires Matilda from the musical in "The Hurt Soccer" and mentioned in "The Plight Before Christmas" (Ms. Merkin was going to ignore Sheila’s emergency appendectomy and attend her students' recital before her appendix burst too).
Mentor Archetype: She’s the one Gene turns to when he wants to get better at music in "The Itty Bitty Ditty Committee". While "Itty Bitty Ditty Committee" is the only episode that directly focuses on this aspect of their relationship, Gene and Ms. Merkin’s closeness throughout the series (such as in "The Plight Before Christmas") hints at them having a continued mentor-mentee relationship.
Miniature Senior Citizens: She's the shortest adult in the series.
Old Master: Not in the fighting sense, but she’s 68 years old and has decades of experience in music, and it shows! While mainly a pianist, she's also shown accompanying Gene's Die Hard musical while playing the ukulele and a drum kit at the same time, and Gene says she wrote the show his class is performing in "The Plight Before Christmas" (with things only going wrong when she's sidelined and a substitute has to take over).

Students

Pocket-Sized Rudy

Voiced by: Larry Murphy

https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/pocket_head.png

In a flashback, that's all we'll see of him, folks.

A student at Wagstaff of an unknown age and grade. Befitting his nickname, he's a Pint-Sized Kid who's so small he can't even be seen on-screen unless the camera specifically focuses on him (and even then it only shows a little bit of him at a time, most often the top of his head).

Height Angst: Given he's the size of a toddler despite being in grade school, can one really blame him?
He Who Must Not Be Seen: His full appearance is unknown; the most that's been shown of him is the top half of his head and his arms.
One-Steve Limit: Goes by Pocket-Sized Rudy to distinguish him from the much more prominent Regular-Sized Rudy.
Only Known by Their Nickname: While Regular-Sized Rudy had his full name revealed at debut, and often goes by just Rudy, Pocket-Sized Rudy is almost always called by his height-related nickname, only going by just "Rudy" when being addressed directly.
Pint-Sized Kid: Considering the size of the other Wagstaff students and the fact that he's not even half of Louise's height, it's implied he's the size of a toddler.
Satellite Character: His debut appearance is as a gag character to explain Regular-Sized Rudy's nickname. He does have appearances besides then, but they're fairly minor, and he only has two (rather short) lines across the entire series (once in his debut appearance; once in "The Secret Ceramics Room of Secrets"). Compare this to Regular-Sized Rudy, who's become one of the most recurring characters in the series and has several episodes focusing on him.
Small Role, Big Impact: Pun not intended, he plays a major part in "Thelma & Louise Except Thelma Is Linda" despite not even appearing in person—Louise got ISS by defending him from bullies.
Vague Age: One of the few named students whose grade is unknown. He goes on the field trip in "Carpe Museum", which primarily has characters from fourth, sixth, and eighth grade, but that's the only indication.

Eighth Graders

Jimmy Pesto Jr.

Jimmy Pesto Jr. (James Poplopovich Jr.)

Jimmy Pesto's oldest son and Tina's biggest (and most recurring) crush.

See here for tropes applying to Jimmy Pesto Junior.

Zeke

“What are we waiting for? That factory's got windows and I got a passion for smashin'! Heeyah!”

Voiced by: Bobby Tisdale

Jimmy Jr.'s best friend and one of the Belchers' schoolmates. He likes to wrestle, much to Jimmy Jr.'s misfortune. Initially it seemed like he might become a rival or antagonist to the kids but he's actually a swell (if dumb) guy who helps them out whenever needed. Although Tina is often shown to dislike him, he returns none of the animosity and is even implied to have a crush on her.

Abhorrent Admirer: Has a hidden torch for Tina, who is positively disgusted to be around him in the first place. To Zeke's credit, it's not that he's obnoxious (well, not too obnoxious) or creepy—Tina just doesn't like him.
Adaptational Villainy: In Tina's story in "What About Job?", he's portrayed as The Dragon to Jimmy Jr., scheming with his friend to destroy humanity via Brown Note.
Affectionate Nickname: He calls Jimmy Jr. "J-Ju" and Tina "T-Bird."
All Men Are Perverts: Zeke loves to talk about boobs, at one point calling himself a "dork" for them.
Ambiguously Bi: While he clearly likes women, "The Oeder Games" implies he might have a thing for Jimmy Jr. as well.
Big Fun: He's big, boisterous, energetic, and always looking to have a good time.
The Big Guy: Typically fills this role when he has a storyline with the rest of the kids, being the strongest and most physically capable of Wagstaff's students. Unlike Gene (the usual candidate for this trope), much of his weight seems to be muscle.
Blatant Lies:
- After he was found out to be the Mad Pooper the reason why he didn't get punished is because "[his] family moves around a lot." He never disappears after this is said^note.
- Also in his implied crush on Tina:
Zeke: I pushed a girl and not because I like her and didn’t know how to show it!
Boisterous Bruiser: The show doesn't make use of his "bruiser" side much (the Belcher kids go straight to him for their bouncer in "The Kids Run The Restaurant", so it's at least recognized in-universe), but he is definitely boisterous, he's a member of the school's wrestling team, and he frequently engages in friendly roughhousing at the drop of a hat.
Bromantic Foil: A variant, where he is often more Tina's foil rather than Jimmy Jr's.
Character Catchphrase: "Do what?", which he adopts starting in "Gene It On". His grandmother also uses it.
Class Clown: In "Bob & Deliver", until Bob became the substitute home-ec teacher and discovered Zeke had a talent for cooking. After that he became the Teacher's Pet.
Dirty Kid: He is obsessed with boobs. Though to be fair, he is a teenager.
Dysfunctional Family: He somehow has a 44-year-old brother^note, and he has a step-mom who has a newborn baby but the way he refers to the baby suggests they might not be biological siblings. Zeke’s mom had him when she was in high school, but also his parents got divorced when he was still a baby—and that's saying nothing of the apparently-massive age gap (given the aforementioned details about Zeke's 44 year-old brother, Zeke's dad would've been nearly fifty at the bare minimum when he fathered Zeke). It’s implied Zeke doesn't get a lot of one-on-one attention given how often he acts out at school, the same episode that mentions his older brother also indicates they're not very close (due to their age gap), and his dad threatens to send him to an alternative school in "Yes Without My Zeke".
Everyone Has Standards: He occasionally goes along with Tammy's nonsense, but when she takes it too far by using the school news to bully people (including Jimmy Jr.) Zeke quickly calls her out on it.
Face of a Thug: Looks like a typical roughhousing delinquent, but is actually quite the softie.
Freudian Excuse: Parodied in "Broadcast Wagstaff School News", where he avoids punishment by revealing his family moves around a lot, which was never hinted at beforehand and has pretty much no link to his actions as the Mad Pooper.
Friend to All Children: Has a natural magnetic pull toward younger kids, particularly Gene and Regular sized Rudy, and even gets the shy and aloof Kaylee to come out of her shell and bond with him.
Friend Versus Lover: Although never outwardly stated, Tina's interactions with Zeke seem to imply that she feels like she's competing for Jimmy Jr.'s attention with Zeke. This is mainly one-sided, as the former tends to act cold and distant to the latter, with Zeke being completely oblivious to this — and in fact, seems to like her as a friend just fine. The biggest example would probably be in "The Belchies", which is fittingly enough Zeke's debut episode. Interestingly enough, Tina is generally nicer to Zeke when Jimmy Jr. isn't around.
- Interestingly Zeke appears to be on the other end of this, too; it's strongly hinted that he has a crush on Tina, and seems to be competing for her attention too.
Global Ignorance: In "Stand By Gene", he looks at a map of the nearby areas outside of Seymour's Bay—a small New Jersey coastal town—so naturally, he proclaims that he can see Iowa. Even ignoring the obvious (that the two states are nowhere near each other), Zeke implies that he thinks Iowa is small enough to fit entirely within the map. Not small like a city—small as in a small field.
Heterosexual Life-Partners: With Jimmy Jr., to the point that they rarely spend much time apart.
Hidden Depths: Zeke has a lot more to him than meets the eye.
- As Bob helps him discover, he has a hidden talent for cooking — specifically, he might have a perfect palate, and he demonstrates an aptitude for short-order cooking.
- He and Peter Pescadero are members of the "Women's Issues" club.
- The occasional stray comment indicates that he greatly appreciates peoples' trust in him.
- Several throwaway comments imply that Zeke is well-versed in poetry.
Hot-Blooded: The kind of kid who will jump to action at the drop of a hat. Any action, any hat.
Informed Attribute: Slightly downplayed in regards to his status as a Dumb Muscle (specifically the "dumb" part; the "muscle" part is very much shown). Despite Louise complaining about his low intelligence in "The Belchies", Zeke himself admitting he's not very smart in "Ex Mach Tina", and the series itself indicating this through his presence in Home-Ec (a place Frond admits is a dumping ground for unintelligent students), very little of his low intelligence is actually shown. While he's not immune to making dumb comments, he's actually shown to be quite cultured, and the general idiocy of his fellow Wagstaff students means Zeke doesn't really stand out in comparison—in fact, compared to them he seems like one of the smarter kids, and at least one of the saner ones.
Jerkass Ball: In "Vampire Disco Death Dance", where he joins Jimmy Jr., Tammy, and Jocelyn in obnoxiously disrupting the titular movie and in general excluding Tina. Considering the group he's with, this very well could just be a Conforming OOC Moment.
Jerk with a Heart of Gold: Rather rough around the edges, but he's a nice guy.
Karma Houdini: He's the Mad Pooper, but "incredibly, is not in trouble."
Zeke: My family moves around a lot.
Tammy: His family moves around a lot.
Large Ham: Just chews scenery every time he shows up. He spends large parts of "Presto Tina-O" not actually doing much, for example, but still manages to have a presence.
Momma's Boy: While she's not his biological mother, Zeke holds a close relationship with his stepmother Cheryl.
Never My Fault: When he loses his wrestling match in "Gene It On", Todd manipulates Zeke into blaming Gene's cheering for supposedly distracting him, causing him to threaten Gene to quit the team or suffer a purple nurple. That said, it's probable that if not for Todd's influence Zeke wouldn't have blamed Gene at all.
The Nicknamer: Just ask J-Ju^noteJimmy Jr., T-Bird^noteTina, Genosabe/Genie in a Bottle^noteGene, and Mr. B^noteBob.
Only One Name: While other one-named characters simply haven't had their surnames revealed (like Jocelyn), the show seems to actively avoid giving Zeke a surname—not even a last initial has been given. Even on lists where other characters' full names are listed (e.g. Tammy in "Broadcast Wagstaff School News" or Regular-Sized Rudy in "Carpe Museum"), Zeke is just listed as "Zeke". The closest we get is that his middle name is Anthony, as revealed in "The Gene & Courtney Show", but even this is never seen or mentioned elsewhere.
Paper-Thin Disguise: Wears a jockstrap on his face while giving Gene a purple nurple in "Gene It On". Gene is too stupid to realize it's him even though Zeke makes no effort to disguise his voice, the jockstrap doesn't even cover that much of his face, and he outright says that he's "not Zeke".
Pet the Dog: Zeke is one of the only kids in Wagstaff that’s nice to Mr. Frond, trying to be his hype man on the field trip to the marionette museum and reminding Frond his mic is on when he’s freaking out over losing his job.
Pooping Where You Shouldn't: His stint as the Mad Pooper sees him target everywhere but a toilet. Some of them were because of genuine Potty Failure, but Zeke also freely admits most of them were on purpose.
Potty Failure: He is revealed to be the Mad Pooper (or the Butt-ler) in "Broadcast Wagstaff School News" — the first time was a genuine accident, the second time was for fun, then it was an accident again, and so on, but after that he did it for Tina.
Practically Different Generations: "Practically" might as well not even be a part of the sentence. Zeke is 13, while his younger paternal half-sibling is a newborn and his older paternal half-sibling is around Bob and Linda's age.
Red Herring: Initially it seems like he might fulfill the traditional archetype of The Bully, akin to Nelson Muntz. However, it quickly becomes clear that while he loves roughhousing, he's anything but a bully.
Really Moves Around: It’s revealed in Season 3, which implies that he had recently moved to the neighborhood in the beginning of Season 2.
Reformed Bully: "Bully-ieve It or Not" reveals that he used to be a bully in elementary school before moving to the Belcher's neighborhood. He's not proud of it and gets very upset and remorseful when one of his former victims transfers to Wagstaff and the story comes out; he's particularly ashamed of an incident where he mocked the other boy for his lisp, especially given his current best friend's own Speech Impediment.
Remember the New Guy?: In his first appearance ("The Belchies"), Tina recognizes him immediately and is surprised to see him, even though viewers have never even heard of him before.
Sensitive Guy and Manly Man: The Manly Man to Jimmy Jr.'s Sensitive Guy.
Shipper on Deck: Despite the strong implication that he has a crush on Tina, Zeke has also shown support for her and Jimmy Jr., such as when they kiss in "Pig Trouble in Little Tina".
Ship Tease: A lot of it with Tina. Despite the two never being an actual couple (unlike Tina's other love interests), it's clear Zeke has a thing for her—and Tina just might return his affections.
- When he is revealed to be the Mad Pooper, he says he kept doing it for Tina's scoop. It's worth noting he was on the news team opposing her, meaning he sabotaged his own team to help out Tina.
- In "Midday Run", when Tina helps Zeke get the Wagstaff mascot costume so he could entertain his grandma before her surgery, he is touched by this and says:
  Zeke: Damn, Tina, now I got a story to tell on our wedding day. You think that's not gonna happen, but I'll getcha girl, I'm gonna getcha.
- Zeke flat-out tells her he likes her in "The Oeder Games", although he might've just been spitballing to avoid being pelted with a water balloon. When asked where he'd take her on a date, he actually comes up with a fairly good date idea (better than Jimmy Jr., who's outright been on a date with Tina) by suggesting they visit the aquarium touch tank that Tina makes regular visits to in "Aquaticism", implying he's thought about it at least once.
- The two kiss in the credits of "The Hormone-iums", though only as a result of Spin the Bottle.
- This is reinforced by Tina's recurring dream in which Jimmy Jr. (her primary love interest) and Zeke switch heads. What's up with that?
- In "UFO No You Didn’t", Tina believes aliens are coming to end the world and (deeply) kisses both Jimmy Jr. and Zeke. When it’s revealed the world is not about to end, Zeke asks for another kiss.
Skipping School: In both "Bad Tina" and "FOMO You Didn't", the latter of which reveals he regularly does this.
Supreme Chef: In "Bob & Deliver", Bob discovers he has a highly acute sense of taste and natural talent at cooking, greatly improving the soup Bob was showing them despite not knowing what most of the spices he was using even were. Zeke, being Zeke, is mortified, but he eventually comes to embrace this talent.
Taking the Heat: In "The Silence of the Louise", Zeke falsely confesses to mutilating Frond's dolls just so Jimmy Jr. and all the other kids get to go to the water park. Fortunately, when the real culprit is found, Zeke doesn't have to stay behind.
Tangled Family Tree: Though downplayed in that the family tree isn't tangled per se, it's still complicated and lengthy to piece together given how many family members Zeke has mentioned and how sparse said mentions are, with only a little bit being revealed at a time. Based on what information has been given:
- Zeke has a grandmother (it's unclear which of Zeke's parents she's the mother of), as seen in "Midday Run" and "Stuck in the Kitchen with You". She is one of the few members of Zeke's family to be featured on-screen.
- Zeke's grandfather is presumably dead - in "Presto Tina-O", Zeke says it looks like Jimmy Jr. is having a stroke, then yells "I miss you, Grandpa!" (the obvious implication being he died of a stroke). Zeke's grandmother also remembers him fondly in "Midday Run," implying that they aren't currently together due to death and not divorce.
- Zeke's parents hooked up when Zeke's mother was in high school, as she was pregnant with Zeke during prom. They got married soon after but divorced a few years after Zeke was born (Zeke has memories of appearing in divorce court as a toddler).
- Zeke's father had at least one relationship prior to Zeke's mother, resulting in Zeke having a 44 year-old paternal half-brother^note. This means that Zeke's father is similar in age to the Fischoeder brothers (mid-60's), and also reveals a massive age gap between Zeke's parents (Zeke's father would've been pushing 50 at the time of Zeke's conception, and Zeke's mother was 18 assuming the relationship was in any way legal).
- Zeke has a cousin named Leslie (his age is unclear but he's got a driver's license, so at least 16), meaning Zeke also has at least one aunt or uncle, but whether that aunt/uncle is paternal or maternal is never mentioned. Leslie appears in "Boyz 4 Now" and "So You Stink You Can Dance" with an additional mention in "Carpe Museum", making him the only family member besides Zeke's grandmother who has a significant appearance in the series.
- Zeke has an aunt who he claims smells like coconuts; she's mentioned once in "The Silence of the Louise". It's unclear whether this aunt is Leslie's mother or if she's also Leslie's aunt.
- Zeke's father has remarried to a woman named Cheryl—she's first mentioned as Zeke's father's girlfriend in "Bad Tina", then mentioned again as Zeke's stepmother in "Carpe Museum", and while she never directly appears in the series she has a single line in "Mom, Lies, & Videotape". Cheryl has a baby who could potentially be Zeke's younger paternal half-sibling, but Zeke specifically refers to the baby as "a baby" and not as his sibling, with the seeming lack of familial attachment raising the possibility (however slim) that the baby isn't actually Zeke's father's, which would make Zeke and the baby stepsiblings. Additionally, the fact that Zeke's stepmother is capable of having children without any notable complications reveals another massive age gap—Zeke's father is old enough to be the father of both of his wives.
- In total, Zeke has: a grandmother, a deceased grandfather, a mother whose current whereabouts are unknown^note, a father who's old enough to be Zeke's grandfather, an older paternal half-brother who's old enough to be Zeke's father, a step-mother young enough to be her husband's own child, a younger paternal half-sibling who might not actually be biologically related to Zeke (making them stepsiblings if true), at least one aunt, and a cousin.
Teen Pregnancy: According to a throwaway line from "O.T.: The Outside Toilet", he was the result of one. Considering how old his father likely was at this time, however, the possible implications are numerous and unsettling.
"Oh, man. This is heavier than my mom at the prom. 'Cause she was pregnant with me."
Those Two Guys: With Jimmy Jr., to the point that the concept of being separated in "Yes Without My Zeke" causes both quite a bit of distress.
Token Good Teammate: Among Tina's classmates and "friends" (himself, Jimmy Jr., Tammy, and Jocelyn), he's the nicest and overall least obnoxious. The only real point that can be made against him is that he's too willing to go along with the others' nonsense.
Toxic Friend Influence: Whenever he and Jimmy Jr. hang out with Tammy and Jocelyn, Zeke is much more obnoxious and abrasive than usual. It's especially noticeable considering the other three members of that friend group are capable of being obnoxious on their own, while Zeke is hammy but not usually obnoxious (and never in a way that's genuinely rude).
Wingman: For Jimmy Jr., when trying to woo Tina. Although Zeke is implied to have something for Tina as well.

Tammy Larsen

https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/tammy2.jpg

"Don't be such a boob punch."

Voiced by: Jenny Slate

A former fake friend of Tina's and the resident Alpha Bitch of Wagstaff. In spite of her awful attitude, constant bullying, and the fact that very few people actually like her, she's nonetheless able to remain (or maintain the facade of remaining) one of Wagstaff's most popular students.

See here for tropes applying to Tammy Larsen.

Jocelyn

"I need to start thinking for myself. Unless you guys don't think that's cool, then I won't."

Voiced by: John Roberts (Actor)

An eighth grader who serves as Tammy's best friend and lackey. Her intelligence leaves much to be desired.

Brainless Beauty: She isn't very smart but many boys apparently find her attractive as seen in "The Gene and Courtney Show" where she had gotten 4 Valentine's Day cards.
Cloud Cuckoolander: Not only does she seem moderately unintelligent, but she once pulled the fire alarm when she witnessed a fight because she assumed the Fire Department would know what to do.
Demoted to Extra: She debuts in Season 1's "Spaghetti Western & Meatballs" before being relegated to the background of Seasons 2 and 3. She returns as a recurring character starting in Season 4's "Bob & Deliver", though it's not until Season 5 that her role as Tammy's lackey would be fleshed out.
Dumb Blonde: She's easily the dumbest character in the series. Her knowledge on anything, even common sense, ranges from "extremely poor" to "non-existent". By far the easiest way for any character to seem smart is to be in a room with Jocelyn, which Zeke has lampshaded.
Girl Posse: An extremely poor man's one to Tammy, even though the two don't actually seem to like each other all that much.
Graceful Ladies Like Purple: Her main outfit has a purple T-shirt, she wears a purple dress to the dance in "Can't Buy Me Math," and a purple tank top and skirt at her birthday party in "The Hormone-iums." Symbolically, it shows that her personality falls in between her two main girl friends - Jocelyn isn't as mean as Alpha Bitch Tammy (whose main shirt is dark pink), but isn't as thoughtful as Nice Girl Tina (who always wears blue).
Hidden Depths:
- As ditzy as she is, she actually has decent grades in photography class.
- Jocelyn, despite not even knowing she could slap initially, made it to the finals of Ga Ga Ball tournament.
Innocent Beta Bitch: While she does follow Tammy's lead, she's just doing it to be popular and is noticeably kinder when Tammy's not in the picture. She's also shown to be willing to stand up to Tammy on occasion, rather than blindly agreeing with every single thing she does.
Innocently Insensitive: She occasionally dishes out a downright vicious roast against Tammy without trying to, and genuinely doesn't seem to realize it when Tammy inevitably calls her on it.
Like Mother, Like Daughter: It's implied that her mother is just as airheaded as she is.
Nice Girl: Despite her lack of intellect and the fact that she tends to follow Tammy in an attempt to be popular, Jocelyn herself is a pretty docile and friendly girl. This is particularly noticeable in "Bob and Deliver", where she is the second person to stand up and support Bob when he is fired.
- Notably in "Comet-y of Errors" she is the one to call out Tammy for exploiting Tina and that she should apologize to Tina for her wrongdoings.
No Full Name Given: Just like Zeke, her last name has never been revealed. Unlike Zeke, however, it's clear the show just hasn't gotten around to it yet.
Only Friend: The only person shown to actually like Tammy, who annoys even her own family.
Pet the Dog: In "Comet-y of Errors" she chooses to stand up for Tina when Tammy exploits her, calling Tammy out on her nonsense and making her apologize to Tina.
Poke the Poodle: In "Vampire Disco Death Dance", her idea of teasing others involves rolling down a car window to yell innocuous things at other cars.
Jocelyn: Your car is blue!
Satellite Character: Despite debuting an entire season before Tammy, Jocelyn mostly serves as her sidekick (primarily so Tammy can qualify as having a basic Girl Posse). Nowadays she rarely appears without Tammy, and has next-to-no personality outside her ditzy moments and being Tammy's lackey.
Skipping School: In "FOMO You Didn't", it's revealed she and her friends regularly skip photography class.
Strong Family Resemblance: Her mother debuted in "The Runway Club" — not only do the two have a strong physical resemblance, they behave similarly and have nearly identical voices.
Took a Level in Jerkass: While she's still a better person than Tammy, later seasons have shown that she's not above joining Tammy in being a real mean girl by judging others and excluding Tina. The Season 12 finale ramps it up heavily by showing her knowingly participating in bullying countless other students (including Jimmy Jr., one of her supposed friends) during Tammy's "Wow or Weird" news segment.
Toxic Friend Influence: She's benign on her own, but Tammy brings out her nastier side.
Valley Girl: She speaks with the stereotypical "valley girl" accent, adding "-uh" to the end of most of her sentences.

Henry Haber

"It's not sad, it's medical."

Voiced by: Jim Gaffigan

Henry Haber is a nerdy eighth grader and quite possibly the only student at Wagstaff who is even dorkier than Tina.

Accidental Misnaming: Jimmy Jr. thinks his name is Harvey. Henry, who just told Tina they were friends, pathetically tries to spin this as an inside joke between them.
Alliterative Name: Henry Haber.
Amazon Chaser: Henry immediately asked Tina out after she showed her fiery and passionate debating skills.
Animal Motif: Really only shows up in "Carpe Museum", but he loves dinosaurs.
The Chessmaster: During the school elections, he manages to successfully predict and manipulate the actions of both Millie and Louise, leading to their both being disqualified, leaving him as the only remaining candidate. Fittingly, his campaign posters have a chess motif.
Complexity Addiction: If one thinks about it, his plan in "The Millie-churian Candidate", while awesome, is a bit unnecessary. Jimmy Jr. was only running for president because he wanted to pick the songs at the school dance, which Millie later exploits to get him to drop out. Had Henry just made this exact offer to Jimmy Jr. himself, he'd be the only candidate from day one. He wouldn't need to convince Millie to join so Louise could tank Jimmy Jr.'s campaign trying to beat her, nor would he have to rely on Louise to break the rules to get Millie disqualified, thus disqualifying Louise herself. Of course, being Henry, it still works out flawlessly.
Even Nerds Have Standards: In "Carpe Museum", he thinks Tina is the biggest dork in school, and doesn't seem to realize he's a dork until Tina brought it up. At the end of the episode however, he publicly announces that he's a dork proudly.
Expy: His physical appearance brings to mind Hank Hill, with short brown hair, glasses, and a tendency to wear white shirts. Not to mention their names—Hank is traditionally a nickname for Henry^note.
Hidden Depths: He plays the saxophone and is one of the band kids that helps the Belcher kids escape from Mr. Frond during the "My Butt Has a Fever" short.
I'm Standing Right Here: Such a beige, boring guy, that people tend to not notice him standing right in front of them. He exploits this in "The Millie-churian Candidate", as Louise is so hyperfocused on beating Millie she completely forgets Henry hasn't dropped out of the race yet and is thus still a threat.
Insufferable Genius: Henry has a tendency to be extremely unpleasant to others due to thinking he's smarter than everyone else. It leads to a temporary break-up when he takes it too far regarding his own girlfriend's homework.
I Work Alone: To the point that he has a doctor's note just so he doesn't have to get a partner for the science fair.
Know-Nothing Know-It-All: While he does know quite a lot, he incorrectly identifies the plesiosaur as a dinosaur in "Carpe Museum"^note, which isn't exactly an uncommon error but is quite the slip-up for someone who considers himself a dinosaur affictionado. Though considering he's never called out on it, this could just be a case of Artistic License – Paleontology on the writers' end.
Morality Pet: While he's absolutely insufferable, he does have a genuine soft spot for Susmita, who he ends up dating as a result.
Non-Standard Character Design: Most characters are drawn with a slight overbite. Henry is drawn with a slight underbite instead.
Relationship Upgrade: As of Season 9, he's with Susmita, who is the one person he actually seems to respect.
Slow and Steady Wins the Race: In "The Millie-churian Candidate". Through determination and a lot of manipulation, he goes from having 5% in the polls to being the undisputed winner of the election.
Stereotypical Nerd: A textbook example; a complete dork in nerdy, boring clothes who's obsessed with dinosaurs and his fighting robot graphic novel. Is also incredibly intelligent and observant and is not afraid to use it to his advantage.
Throw the Dog a Bone: In "Ain't Miss Debatin'", he laments Tina dumping him (after technically having cheated on him to boot) and rhetorically asks if she knows how long it'll take for him to find another girlfriend. As it turns out, not that long at all—two seasons later, and he's got a girlfriend that sticks.

Susmita

Voiced by: Aparna Nancherla

A very intelligent girl with a talent for science that gets partnered with Tina.

Bollywood Nerd: Her name implies she's South Asian, and she's one of the smartest characters so far.
Cloudcuckoolander's Minder: Whenever she and Tina team up, Tina frequently gets stumped or distracted by even the simplest of things, leaving Susmita to either pick up the slack or guide Tina through whatever they're doing.
Girlish Pigtails: Always wears her hair in twin tails tied with green scrunchies.
Good Counterpart: She's essentially the nicer version of Henry Haber, meaning she has none of his manipulative tendencies and is actually able to socialize and befriend others while still being extremely smart.
Nice Girl: She has no problems helping Tina on assignments when she needs it and treats everyone respectfully.
Only Friend: Downplayed, but out of Tina's classmates, Susmita is the only one who treats Tina with legitimate respect and arguably the only classmate Tina can consider an ally, even if Susmita is bewildered by Tina's lack of common sense regarding some of the simplest things. Tina even refers to her as 'Sweet, Sweet Susmita' after having accidentally peeked at her answers during a test and laments that they might not be friends anymore.
Only Sane Man: Of Tina's colleagues, Susmita is one of the smartest, as well as the most level-headed as she steers clear from the antics of her wackier classmates.
Relationship Upgrade: She gets together with Henry at the end of her debut appearance. They're still together in Season 11.

Seventh Graders

Darryl

https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/thumbnail_5393507350909258305.jpg

"I'm not a nerd. I'm a video game enthusiast."

Voiced by: Aziz Ansari

A nerdy student seventh grader at Wagstaff and a proud gamer. He first appears helping Bob get better at the titular video game in "Burgerboss" in exchange for Bob protecting him from bullies. He later works with the kids on a number of their schemes, pretty much always acting as the brains.

The Ace: Very skilled at video games, to the point that pretty much every high score in Family Funtime is his.
Ambiguously Brown: It's not clear what ethnicity he is in-universe or out. Bob thinks he might be black, but isn't sure, and Darryl doesn't answer him when he asks. That said, there's also a distinct chance that he's Indian-American, like his voice actor.
Book Smart: In addition to his video game skill, he's very academically gifted.
Characterization Marches On:
- Despite insisting he's not a nerd, just a big video game addict, his love of video games is largely phased out (only showing up on a few brief occasions since "Burgerboss", and never the main focus of his character like it was in his debut) in favor of emphasizing Darryl's academic smarts.
- In Season 5's "Work Hard or Die Trying, Girl", he doesn't make the cut for Courtney's musical because he "can't not sing like Mariah Carey," singing his lines with overdone runs. Afterwards (including later episodes in Season 5), he proves to have a really nice, normal singing voice, to the point where the Belcher kids seek him out for their band in "Itty Bitty Ditty Committee".
Demoted to Extra: After Season 9's "Better Off Sled", he was reduced to voiceless cameos for the following two seasons. He finally returns to speaking roles in the Season 12 finale and the movie, but both times he only appears very briefly (and in the Season 12 finale it's not actually him, but rather a version of him in Tina's imagination).
Hidden Depths: He turns out to be a talented singer.
Likes Older Women: If him spying on his elderly neighbor as she undresses is any indication.
The Millstone: In "Fort Night", selling the rest of the kids out to Millie for a bathroom break. Louise has to point out that if he'd just kept his mouth shut, he would've escaped and gotten a bathroom break anyways. Similarly, it's his final attempt at helping that nearly causes a truck to crush the kids.
New Neighbors As The Plot Demands: First appears in "Burgerboss" specifically because Bob needs a video game expert to mentor him. The Belcher kids do not seem to know who he is. But he is subsequently revealed to be a student at Wagstaff who moves in the same social circles as they do, meaning they probably should've met before. It is possible he started going to Wagstaff after "Burgerboss".
The Peeping Tom: Has a high-powered telescope he uses to watch his neighbor undress, and provides it to the Belcher kids for similar purposes at the nude beach.
Verbal Tic: A distinctive whining noise whenever he struggles with a physical activity or gets injured.
Younger Than They Look: Despite his major friend group being with the eighth graders ("Can't Buy Me Math" being the primary example) and being in the same level of math as them (since he has enough knowledge of Tina's curriculum to try and tutor her), he's only in seventh grade. He is the only major Wagstaff student known to be in an odd-numbered grade.

Sixth Graders

Courtney Wheeler

https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/bb_courtney.png

Courtney: "We used to date." Gene: "But now, we just collaborate."

Voiced by: David Wain

A girl in Gene's grade who like likes him. To spare her feelings, Gene agrees to go out with her, to all three kids' — and Bob's once he meets her — annoyance. She has a heart condition that requires medication every day. Although she's initially set up as a rival to Gene, later episodes show her to be one of his closest friends—and sometimes, even closer than that.

Abhorrent Admirer: To Gene, at least initially.
Alpha Bitch: Though not as bad as Tammy. Definitely more "annoying" than "bitch". Becomes a Lovable Alpha Bitch in the sixth season.
Amicable Exes: With Gene, though only after their second breakup in "The Gene & Courtney Show".
Character Tic: Sucking on her necklace
Crossdressing Voices: Voiced by David Wain, better known from The State and as the voice of the Warden on Superjail!.
Derailing Love Interests: Inverted. She is introduced as a selfish, self-centered and annoying girl who annoys the Belchers as a whole and pushes Gene to be her boyfriend. By her reappearance in "Work Hard or Die Trying, Girl", she is still not in quite good terms with Gene, but is generally nicer to him at the end and shows genuine regret for some of her actions. "The Gene & Courtney Show" has her as a much nicer girl with whom Gene rekindles a romantic relationship, she has gotten so better that their relationship is steady and healthy, with them only breaking up because they couldn't work and date simultaneously. While they haven't gotten back together since, they're on good terms, a far cry from the obnoxious girl Courtney once was.
Foil: She can be seen as one to Tammy, both being blonde, rich girls who have a particular relationship to two of the Belcher kids Gene and Tina respectively.
- Tammy was introduced as a new student that Tina was in charge of showing around Wagstaff, but Tammy immediately became a bad influence on Tina by peer-pressuring her and blackmailing her into doing what she wanted and it was clear that Tammy wasn't fond of Tina; Courtney was already a student at Wagstaff from the start with a reputation as the most annoying girl in the school and she even dated Gene and dragged him along for her ride, but despite how pushy she was, Courtney genuinely liked Gene.
- Tammy became Tina's most prominent rival even in later seasons; Courtney became more of a real friend to Gene in later seasons despite their initial antagonism.
- Tammy is a selfish, rude and inconsiderate Spoiled Brat and her parents (especially her Dad) indulge and cater to her every whim to the point where even they're not all that fond of her; Courtney started off as a Spoiled Brat due to her well-off upbringing but became much more Spoiled Sweet to others and she has a very close relationship with her dad even if he can be a little pushy.
- Most of Tammy's friendships are shallow and superficial because Jocelyn, Jimmy Jr and Zeke are just as vapid and ignorant as she is; Courtney developed meaningful friendships with Gene and Alex because they each have similar quirks and can bond over them.
Girl Posse: Has two other friends (Julie and Rupa) she is usually seen with.
Hidden Depths: She's not too bad of an actress.
It's All About Me: About as much as would be realistic.
Jerkass: Downplayed but clearly there. She later develops into a substantially nicer Jerk with a Heart of Gold, and she and Gene end up as Amicable Exes.
Jerkass Has a Point: She basically forced Gene into being her boyfriend and was disrespectful to his family, but she accurately points out that Gene was exploiting their relationship for his own desires (and was himself not much more respectful to her family).
Lack of Empathy: Downplayed — she has some empathy, but is a Spoiled Brat. Later downplayed as of Season 5, and averted entirely by Season 6.
More Teeth than the Osmond Family: She has two sets of teeth because her baby teeth never fell out. Mercifully it's an Informed Attribute, however, since the characters are almost never drawn with teeth.
Nice Girl: She starts off as an obnoxious and annoying jerk, but after her first appearance she gradually becomes a much nicer person and a real friend to Gene and his new friend Alex, as well as to Regular-Sized Rudy and even Louise (who heavily disliked her in the beginning).
Nice Mean And In Between: Among the trio of blonde girls who associate with the Belchers, Courtney's undoubtedly the Nice. She started off as obnoxious and oblivious to Gene, to the point Louise and Tina were utterly horrified at the idea of her being his secret admirer, before eventually becoming one of his closest friends and the dislike his sisters had of her being completely dropped.
Official Couple: With Gene for the duration of "The Unbearable Like-Likeness of Gene" and later "The Gene and Courtney Show".
Parental Title Characterization: She still calls her father "Daddy". Unlike Louise, whose prior usage of this term highlights her status as a Daddy's Girl, for Courtney it's used to highlight her relative immaturity. For context, Courtney (being in sixth grade) is either eleven or twelve, while Louise almost entirely stopped using "Daddy" after turning eight.
The Rival: To Gene in "Work Hard Or Die Trying, Girl". Unlike her fellow blonde rivals Tammy and Millie, Courtney and Gene do get along a little better (and soon, a lot better).
Saying Sound Effects Out Loud: One of her many annoying habits – says "kick" while kicking the back of Bob’s seat, "lick" while eating ice cream, and apparently says "tinkle" while using the bathroom.
Spoiled Sweet: After she Took a Level in Kindness. Her father still dotes on her a lot, but she's nonetheless a friendly (if occasionally annoying) girl.
Took a Level in Kindness: While still in an "antagonist" role and something of an irritant, she is far less obnoxious in her appearance in "Work Hard Or Die Trying, Girl". Comes to a head in the sixth season when she moves firmly out of the antagonist role doing the morning announcements with Gene. The two enter a relationship again that is mutual on both ends, but it is Courtney who decides they need to break up because it's negatively affecting their performance. After Gene does a heartfelt song about Valentine's Day and demonstrates he respects Courtney's choice, she gives him a kiss, saying it is Valentine's Day. Nowadays she's a genuine friend of Gene.
Worthy Opponent: Despite not initially getting a role in Gene's musical, she expresses open heartfelt admiration when she sees in it action.

Alex Papasian

https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/alexbb_0.png

"I tried to run here to meet you, but it turns out I run slower than I walk, which was, um, was a letdown, I'll be honest."

Voiced by: Thomas Middleditch (Seasons 8 and 9); Paul Rust (Season 12 onwards)

A chubby kid with parents worried about his health that befriends Gene over their shared love for food and distaste for P.E. classes.

Best Friend: Flat-out calls Gene his best friend in "Roller? I Hardly Knew Her", though prior to that episode (where he also befriended Courtney), Gene was arguably his only friend.
Big Eater: Just another thing he has in common with Gene. His parents try to put him on a diet, which doesn't go so well.
Birds of a Feather: Shares Gene’s love of wizards, robots, food, and making pop culture (especially movie) references.
Bizarre Human Biology: He apparently has "mostly calf muscles" in his arms. It's not just exaggeration, that's literally what his doctor told him.
The Bus Came Back: After being absent from Season 10 and having only a minor cameo in Season 11, he makes a reappearance in Season 12's "Seven-tween Again".
Nice Guy: He's a friendly boy who easily and happily befriends Gene, becomes his best friend and he gets along great with Gene's siblings and other peers such as Courtney and Rudy.
Non-Standard Character Design: While not as pronounced as Henry Haber's, Alex also has a slight underbite when his face is seen from the side, compared to the overbite most other characters have.
Perverse Sexual Lust: A G-rated example — he knows Strawberry Shortcake isn’t real, but according to him his feelings for her are.
Plot Allergy: His allergy to sesame forms a major plot point in "Roller? I Hardly Knew Her", where Doug Wheeler plans to trigger it so Alex can't be Courtney's skating partner.
Potty Failure: Never actually shown, but a major symptom of his sesame allergy is near-instantaneous diarrhea.
Alex: I am mad that you wanted to give me diarrhea, but I'm really happy that you decided not to do it. 'Cause Gene? It is a mess.
The Runaway: In his first appearance, he convinces Gene to run away with him as he tries to get away from his parents' extremely healthy new habits that had been bothering him. He eventually realizes life on the lam isn't that great (not helped by his extremely poor planning) and comes back home, without his parents ever realizing he'd run away in the first place.

Lenny DeStefano

Voiced by: Larry Murphy

A sixth grader who seems to be the most popular kid at Wagstaff, liked by kids and adults alike.

Beware the Nice Ones: He's a genuinely friendly guy, but he gives Gene an outright Death Glare at the end of "The Unbearable Like-Likeness of Gene" after Gene's actions led to Courtney being hospitalized.
Chick Magnet: Besides his many girlfriends, Tammy and Jocelyn are both hinted to have crushes on him in "Broadcast Wagstaff School News".
Foil: Can be considered one to Tammy. Tammy is a supporting character who thinks she's beloved by everyone at school but is genuinely an obnoxious and borderline awful person no one else really seems to care about, not even enough to dislike. Lenny's a minor character who is truly beloved by the school because he's apparently a nice guy.
Loved by All: Everyone who knows Lenny likes him, including Bob. His birthday party is considered the height of the social season at Wagstaff, with it being treated as a huge thing that Gene's band got invited to perform at it. Mrs. Merkin, the school music teacher, is amazed when Gene told her he got in. Only one person has shown disdain for him—Mr. Branca, who disapproves of his hopping from girlfriend to girlfriend.
Nice Guy: From what little we see of him, he seems to be a genuinely nice kid which explains why he's so popular. He even shows respect to Bob, causing Bob to like him as well.
Really Gets Around: A middle school example, in that he apparently has a lot of different girlfriends.

Peter Pescadero

Voiced by: H. Jon Benjamin

A sixth grader at Wagstaff. Peter frequently appears in Wagstaff-focused episodes, but has yet to have a starring role in a single one.

Book Dumb: He apparently doesn't do well in school, as he's in the Home-Ec class (which Mr. Frond claims is a dumping ground for the dumber students) despite that usually being limited to eighth graders (which Peter is not), and he apparently doesn't even know what "beverage" means. Justified; Louise claims he has a learning disability, and Gene claims he's partially deaf (which also probably contributes to his learning difficulties).
Dark Horse Victory: He claims the grand prize in "Presto Tina-o". Also technically counts as a Diabolus ex Machina to Tina and Jimmy Jr., given Peter hadn't been seen or mentioned in the episode a single time before then.
A Day in the Limelight: One of the few characters to avert it; the closest he gets is being a member of the titular band in "Itty Bitty Ditty Committee", but he's relatively Out of Focus compared to the conflict between the Belcher kids and Darryl.
Early Installment Character-Design Difference: He has brown hair and a white shirt in Season 1, but red hair and a green shirt for all other seasons. His hair in Season 1 is also in a completely different style.
Hidden Depths: He's part of the "Women's Issues" club with Zeke. He's also trying to learn how to dance.
- Peter has interest in music and dance—he's a member of the titular band in "Itty Bitty Ditty Committee" as well as the titular group in "The Hormone-iums".
Meaningful Name: His surname means "fish merchant" in Spanish. Fitting for a guy living in a coastal town.
Recurring Extra: He can often be seen around town, most often in Wagstaff.
Small Role, Big Impact: Despite being a minor character, he occasionally does something that sparks an entire episode, yet in spite of this his role in it is hardly ever acknowledged.
- In "Beefsquatch", he was the one who gave Gene the Beefsquatch mask that led to Gene's breakout role on "Get on Up".
- In "Worms of In-Rear-Ment", he's the one who found the pinworm-infested tater tot that Gene later ate, leading to a pinworm outbreak in the Belcher home. In this case, he also counts as an Unwitting Instigator of Doom.

Fifth Graders

Benj

Voiced by: Jackie Quinn

A boy in a wheelchair who has a passion for puppetry.

Affectionate Nickname: He is known around the school as the Puppet Kid. Even his hero is Jim Henson.
Handicapped Badass: He may be in a wheelchair, but that doesn't stop him from fulfilling his passion.
Held Back in School: Apparently he almost flunked fourth grade after trying to use his puppets to pass a vocabulary quiz. (Though Ms. LaBonz assures him he didn't do as bad as he implies.)
Likes Older Women: Older girls to be more precise. He very much appreciates attention from eighth grade girls like Jocelyn and Tina.
Precocious Crush: He only agrees to help Louise with her shadow puppet project of Amelia Earhart due to the prospect of spending time with Tina, which Louise takes full advantage of by having her just stand next to her while she makes her pitch.
Sports Mom: Downplayed; he mentions that his mom has him in an afterschool wheelchair basketball program even though he doesn't really enjoy it.

Fourth Graders

Andy and Ollie Pesto

Ollie voiced by: Sarah Silverman
Andy voiced by: Laura Silverman

Jimmy Pesto's younger twin sons, who are overly-attached to each other.

See here for tropes applying to the Pesto twins.

Regular-Sized Rudy

Rudolph Stieblitz

https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/rlyxeuc7.png

"I've tasted life, and I'm hungry for more!"

Voiced by: Brian Huskey

A sweet, dorky boy who goes to school with Louise, frequently in trouble due to his awkward combination of thrill-seeking tendencies and severe asthma. He originally appeared as Louise's field trip buddy in "Carpe Museum" when he snuck into a closed rainforest exhibit with her. Since then, he's made many more appearances as Louise's best (and in many ways only) friend.

Acquired Situational Narcissism: Rudy turns out to be incredible at Ga-Ga Ball in "Y Tu Ga-Ga Tambien", which turns him into a school celebrity and an arrogant Jerk Jock.
Rudy: No shame in losing to the best.
And Zoidberg: "AND RUDY'S... there!"
Artifact Name: His nickname was originally because of the One-Steve Limit—Rudy wasn't the only one of his name at Wagstaff. However, Pocket-Sized Rudy has only been mentioned or seen in a grand total of four episodes, a number Regular-Sized Rudy has completely dwarfed—meaning there's pretty much no reason to enforce the One-Steve Limit rule given only one Rudy has any actual prominence^note. This seems to have been acknowledged in later seasons, where Louise refers to him more often as just "Rudy" (without the "Regular-Sized" part attached), and Brian Huskey is simply credited as "Rudy" at the end of The Bob's Burgers Movie.
Best Friend: To Louise. His friendship with her differs from her friendship with the Pesto twins, in that Louise pretty much never manipulates Rudy for self-gain (and the few times she does, not only is it still out of good intentions, but he's also able to call her out on it).
Beware the Nice Ones:
- Once he finds out that Tina lost Zeke, when she was suppose to escort him to the principal, and lied to Mr. Frond, saying she did. He is upset with her, and sabotages her attempt later to cover up her mistake.
- He exploded at Louise near the end of "House of 1000 Bounces" for ignoring his suggestion about forgetting the bounce house, ruining his plans for a puppet show, and getting them in trouble with the park ranger.
- In "Touch of Eval(uations)", when Louise figures out a way to abuse the evaluation system to give students a free day, Rudy is just as exploitative as Louise is, blackmailing Coach Blevins into cancelling gym class.
Break the Cutie:
- In "House of 1000 Bounces" Louise attends Rudy's birthday party and finds out that he had to improvize because the bouncing castle had beenbooked by another birthday party. Louise hatched a plan to steal the castle so Rudy could have an exciting party, but they're caught by the park ranger, at which point Rudy breaks down since Louise ruined his party.
- In "The Amazing Rudy" he's taken on a doulbe-date with his parents and their new partners. When Rudy tries to wow them with a new and unpracticed magic trick, he flubs and causes a scene. Feeling like he failed at doing his part to keep the family together, Rudy ran away in tears.
Broken Pedestal: As a fellow hall monitor, he looked up to Tina. However, in "Midday Run" he grew disillusioned with her when she failed to escort Zeke to the principal's office and covered up his disappearance.
Challenge Seeker: Regularly participates in activities far too strenuous or risky for a child with asthma, apparently specifically because someone told him not to. This includes tree-climbing, baseball, sneaking off during field trips and train robbing. He's a bit of an adrenaline junkie.
Companion Cube: Beanbag. Rudy reacts to him being torn open like he just witnessed the murder of a close friend.
Covert Pervert: Not usually, but he sounds oddly awed when Tina produces his confiscated Burobu cards from out of her shirt in “Mission Impos-slug-ble.”
Rudy: Our Burobu cards! And they've got bra on them.
Crazy-Prepared: He always carries around a pair of cymbals in his backpack. As he says, "You never know when someone will want to jam."
Cute, but Cacophonic: He may be endearing, but he also has a gratingly high pitched scream. Played for Laughs in "Fraud of the Dead".
Dark Horse Victory: After the entirety of "Teen-a Witch" focuses on Tina trying to beat Tammy in a costume contest, Rudy (dressed as Bip the Clown) takes home first place instead.
Deconstructed Character Archetype: Rudy's a deconstruction of Butt-Monkey kids in animation like Milhouse or Butters. Whenever he's put into distressing or even mildly dangerous situations, everyone - especially Louise - takes it very seriously. While Milhouse and Butters have self-absorbed parents that neglect or even abuse their children, Rudy's parents clearly love him regardless of their separation. Cartoon or not, Rudy's still a fragile and innocent child.
Determinator: Serious asthma doesn't stop him, actually, he seems to be determined to do more in spite of it.
Endearingly Dorky: He's quiet and awkward, but also surprisingly outgoing and likable, so much so that he gets along with Louise.
Exactly What It Says on the Tin: His nickname is very apt.
Bob, incredulous: Regular-Sized Rudy? Why do they call you that?
Rudy: Just look at me.
- He's called this to differentiate him from Pocket-Sized Rudy, who is apparently the size of a baby if his height compared to Louise in "Carpe Museum" is any indication (he's too short to appear on screen when the camera is eye-level with Louise).
Expy: He heavily resembles Bobby Hill, albeit skinnier.
Foil: Can be one to Zeke, although it doesn't stop them from being friends with each other.
- Zeke is an older kid in 8th grade, athletic and strong as he even kept giving Rudy a hard time when he tried basketball; Rudy is a smaller, younger kid in 4th grade who is known for being asthmatic and weak.
- Zeke excels at sports like basketball and wrestling which require coordination, physical strength and going against kids his own size; Rudy performed well at Gaga ball because it's a much less strenuous activity that gives a smaller kid like him an advantage against bigger and older kids.
- Zeke is loud, rambunctious and reckless; Rudy is quiet, mild-mannered and usually more cautious but still has a fun-loving streak.
- When it comes to their friendships, Zeke and Jimmy Jr. get along because they're both simple-minded and fun-loving guys; Rudy and Louise are opposites with Rudy being more level-headed and cautious while Louise is reckless and impulsive.
- Because Zeke and Jimmy Jr. are pretty similar to each other, they don't disagree much nor do they really learn much from each other; Rudy and Louise balance each other out and it enables Louise to soften up and Rudy to stand up for himself.
- Even when Jimmy Jr. is being a jerk, Zeke never calls him out for it and even joins in with him on being a jerk; Rudy can and does call out Louise when she's going too far and it often gets her to reflect on herself or stop her antics altogether.
Gosh Dang It to Heck!: The kid can't swear even when actively trying.
Rudy: I know we're friends, Gene, but in the pit, it don't mean...crud. Unh, I thought I was gonna cuss, I really thought I was.
Handicapped Badass: Rudy has severe asthma, but that doesn't stop him from going along with Louise's misadventures. This and the fact that he can actually keep up with her earn him Louise's respect.
Horrible Judge of Character: No, it's not towards Louise—in fact, Rudy is one of the only non-Belchers Louise is selflessly nice towards. It's towards Chloe Barbash, who he's shown to have a crush on in several episodes even after her debut appearance makes it clear that she's willing to manipulate him for self-gain and otherwise barely even acknowledges he exists.
I Just Want to Have Friends: And will risk asthma-related death to keep up with them. Fortunately, his efforts go rewarded; the Belcher children (Louise in particular) like him.
In-Series Nickname: As opposed to Pocket-Sized Rudy.
Masculine Girl, Feminine Boy: The timid, quiet Feminine Boy to Louise's Masculine Girl.
Morality Pet: To Louise, on occasion. She seems to genuinely like him, even before they became friends. He's one of the few people that Louise will verbally say "sorry" to, the others being her parents (particularly Bob) and siblings.
Nerdy Inhaler: Not all that nerdy, but still needs a hit o' inhaler every couple of hours or else.
Nice Guy: Unusually low concern regarding his own mortality aside. Louise is shocked during "The Kids Rob A Train" when he convinces her that his offer to pull the stolen chocolate into the juice caboose and then help her up is genuine, and not an attempt to double-cross her. She even states she can't work with someone who wouldn't take the obvious chance to double-cross someone. He finally comes up with a plan to double-cross Louise in "Yurty Rotten Scoundrels"... which he immediately tells her about.
Non-Action Guy: Emphasized in "The Unnatural", when he takes the baseball scam class and falls down gasping from hitting an imaginary ball. Justified; he's asthmatic and too much physical activity has been shown to aggravate his condition.
Only Friend: The one mutual friend Louise is shown to actually have across the series (not counting the Pesto twins, given Louise typically only manipulates them). Not because nobody wants to be her friend, but because Rudy is the one person Louise wants to be friends with.
Only Known by Their Nickname: "Regular-Sized Rudy"/"Reg-Size Rudy". He's called this because there are two Rudys in the school, with the other one being called Pocket-Sized Rudy. He likes his nickname, while Pocket-Sized Rudy doesn't like his.
- In later episodes, Louise tends to call him just Rudy, showing how they've grown to be good friends. Though it still counts as this trope, given Rudy's actual name is Rudolph (which is only mentioned at the start of "Carpe Museum").
Parent with New Paramour: His parents are divorced, and his dad is shown a couple times trying to get back into the dating game (with mixed success), while "The Amazing Rudy" shows that his mom has had a steady boyfriend for a while.
Puppy Love: "Bob Actually" shows that he likes Louise as more than a friend, originally trying to ask her out to lunch on Valentine's Day. This was a Red Herring, as Rudy wanted her to give a Valentine's card to Chloe Barbash... at least until the end of the episode implies via a kiss that Rudy does at least have some feelings for Louise.
Rimshot: Supplies Louise with a cymbals-only sting after she insults Mr. Frond.
Security Blanket: A stuffed flounder named Pancake, which he never sleeps without.
Ship Tease: "Bob Actually" ramps it up heavily with Louise. The ending implies the feeling is mutual.
Sixth Ranger: The child most often to join the Belcher kids on their misadventures.
Stepford Smiler: "The Amazing Rudy" shows that in spite of Rudy's friendly nature, behind closed doors he's riddled with anxiety thanks to his parents splitting up. Rudy took up magic tricks as a hobby because entertaining his parents helped maintain some harmony with the vain hope of maybe fixing the marriage, but one botched trick was all it took to break Rudy and make him run away in tears.
Strong Family Resemblance: As seen in "The Kids Rob A Train", Rudy greatly resembles a smaller version of his father, but with no glasses.

Millie Frock

Voiced by: Molly Shannon

A fourth grader with some serious issues, who wants to be Louise's best friend.

See here for tropes applying to Millie Frock.

Harley

https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/bobs_burgers_slumber_party1.jpg

"Woah, look at this fluffy boa snake! I'm glad it's not a real snake. Could you imagine it? It's fake, it's a boa!"

Voiced by: Katie Crown (Seasons 4-10); Ashley Nicole Black (The Bob's Burgers Movie)

A fourth-grader at Wagstaff and a schoolmate of Louise. As Louise quips (and as Harley quickly makes obvious), Harley never shuts up, talking both fast and frequently. For this reason, Louise dislikes associating with her even though they're in the same class. In addition to her talkativeness, Harley is quite outdoorsy, being a member of the Gold Dragons soccer team and later joining Thundergirl Troop 119.

Accidental Misnaming: In "A Fish Called Tina", Harley is paired up with Jocelyn. Jocelyn proceeds to call her Harriet, at one point outright telling Harley that she's wrong when she gets corrected.
Blatant Lies: Harley tells Louise that she'll trade stickers with her, but that her stickers are really rare, so one of Harley's equals six of Louise's.
Innocently Insensitive: Louise spins a story about Gene's feral twin biting off her buttcheek in order to get Harley to leave. Her response?
Harley: Is that why you dance weird in dance class?
(beat)
Louise: Shut up, Harley.
Motor Mouth: Louise quips that Harley "Hard-ley ever shuts her mouth".
Harley: Louise, what are your ten favorite colors of dogs? Mine are red, brown, spots, black, white, orange spots, kinda-brown, kinda-black, brown spots, black spots, red spots, red stripes..."
Oblivious to Hints: Harley can't tell that Louise hates her guts.
Harley: I made an orange and yellow tie-dye, because my cat is orange and yellow! And my cat's name is Popover. What's your cat's name?"
Louise: My cat's name is 'I don't have a cat, stop talking to me right now, Harley!'"
Harley: Aw, so cute! Where is it?"
Scout-Out: Joins Thundergirl Troop 119 in "Motor, She Boat".

Jodi

"GERMS! GERMS! EVERYWHERE! UNCLEAN! UNCLEEEAAAN!"

Voiced by: Rachel Dratch

A germophobic fourth-grader at Wagstaff, member of Thundergirl Troop 119, and a member of the Gold Dragons soccer team.

Eye Glasses: The only glasses-wearing character besides Tina to play this trope straight. Just like Tina, without her glasses her eyes are shown to be much smaller than the other characters'.
Nerd Glasses: Louise threatens to flush them down a toilet in "Tina, Tailor, Soldier, Spy".
Passionate Sports Girl: Played With. Despite her crippling germ phobia, she tried out for field hockey, she's a Thundergirl (which requires camping outside), and is on the Gold Dragons soccer team. On the other hand, she doesn't seem to be good at any of them (the latter two being shown, the former being implied due to the fact that she didn't make it past tryouts), probably because of her neuroses.
Scout-Out: For someone who hates germs, she's a member of the outdoorsy Thundergirls, as revealed in "Tina, Tailor, Soldier, Spy".
Sickly Neurotic Geek: Textbook example.
Terrified of Germs: Defining character trait. Has never sat on a toilet seat. Or any seat, as seen when Bob drives her home.

Jessica

https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/302c8f4a_445d_4d1b_997b_df1f6a89e22a_screenshot.jpg

"Louise. Hayloft. Wanna jumpy-jump?"

https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/bb_jessica.png

Jessica in her first appearance.

Voiced by: Kathryn Hahn

"If she were a spice, she'd be flour, if she were a book, she'd be two books."

—Louise on Jessica.

A classmate of Louise's that appears for her sleepover. She's considered painfully boring by everyone, but she turns out to be much more than what first seem.

Embarrassing Damp Sheets: The reason why she was so shy was to avoid letting the other girls find out that she's a bedwetter.
Hidden Depths: Louise writes her off as being super boring, and she avoids interacting with the other girls at the sleepover. However, she outlasts all the other party-goers – who Louise scares off – and when her wet pants/underwear go missing, she turns ruthless, refusing to leave the Belcher’s apartment until she finds them. She also baits Louise into pretty a violent pillow fight.
Kaleidoscope Hair: She has a different hair color in each of her appearances. Her debut appearance, "Slumber Party", depicts her as a redhead. "Three Girls & a Little Wharfy" depicts her as a brunette, with no in-universe explanation. "Apple Gore-chard! (But Not Gory)" depicts her with black and green hair, and it's explained that she dyed it as part of her Halloween costume.
Put on a Bus: She disappeared after her debut until Season 10's "Three Girls & a Little Wharfy", after which she disappeared once more until Season 13's "Apple Gore-chard! (But Not Gory)". Overall, her appearances are very sporadic, with her vanishing for entire seasons at a time.
Shrinking Violet: When Linda invites her to the sleepover, she doesn't really mingle with the other girls and was determined to get to bed ASAP.

Arnold Evans

Voiced by: Damon Wayans Jr.

A Karate-obsessed boy who skipped a grade and is now in Louise’s class. He helps the Belchers clean up Zeke's mess in "Yes Without My Zeke" and serves as Jimmy Jr.'s Little Fish in "A Fish Called Tina".

Badass Adorable: A small, cute child with an orange belt in Karate.
Black and Nerdy: He’s black, wears large glasses, and skipped a grade due to his intelligence.
Blood Knight: Louise has to reign him in when he offers to choke out Mr. Frond.
Genius Bruiser: He’s not only smart enough to have skipped a grade, but he has an orange belt in karate.
Pint-Sized Kid: It's even plot-relevant; he's recruited to help the kids in "Yes Without My Zeke" solely because he's small enough to sneak into the school through the window and unlock the door (the only other candidate, Pocket-Sized Rudy, is on vacation).
Pint-Sized Powerhouse: He’s smaller than Louise, but he can throw a stapler farther than Zeke.
Recurring Extra: Ever since his debut, he can be seen in Louise's class, such as being Jimmy Jr.'s Little Fish in "A Fish Called Tina" or attending the aquarium overnight in "Poops!... I Didn't Do It Again".
Self-Applied Nickname: He asks to be called "Sensei". Louise tells him that's not going to happen.

Large Tommy

Voiced by: H. Jon Benjamin

A fourth grader at Wagstaff. As the name implies, Large Tommy is fairly out-of-shape, though his size is also attributed to being one of the older fourth graders (he was held back at one point). Tommy frequently appears in the background of several episodes, with only one major appearance to date (in "The Gene Mile").

A Day in the Limelight: After appearing as a background character since Season 1, he finally gets a major role in Season 9's "The Gene Mile" as Gene's companion for the school's mandatory mile run.
The Determinator: Once he starts running in "The Gene Mile", he doesn't stop because apparently the muscle ache is too great if you do. He's the one who encourages Gene to do the same.
Exactly What It Says on the Tin: What were you expecting from a guy known as Large Tommy?
Geek Physiques: While too little about him is known to determine if he's really a geek^note, he certainly looks the part, with his glasses, soft-spoken voice—and of course, his weight.
Older Than They Look: Downplayed; despite being a fourth grader, he's apparently a year older than the rest. It's explained in "The Gene Mile" as him having to repeat the fourth grade.
Only Known by Their Nickname: He never goes by anything other than "Tommy" or "Large Tommy".
Recurring Extra: He can frequently be seen in the background of scenes at Wagstaff. He's also part of the angry crowd in the pilot episode.
Spanner in the Works: In "A Fish Called Tina", Tina devises a plan to get her Little Fish, Kaylee, to like her by dumping chili on Kaylee and then helping her avoid embarrassment. Tommy singlehandedly (and accidentally) derails this plan when he drops something and then bumps Tina trying to pick it up, causing Tina to spill the chili on herself. He doesn't even seem to realize what he's done.

Chloe Barbash

Voiced by: Stephanie Beatriz

A student of Wagstaff. She has long and shiny auburn hair due to her special shampoo she uses. Regular-Sized Rudy has a crush on her and she used him to learn quiz answers, earning Louise's enmity from it as a result.

See here for tropes applying to Chloe Barbash.

Wayne

Voiced by: Andy Richter

An opinionated, pushy fourth grade boy in Louise's class. He and Louise are prone to butting heads due to their similarly obnoxious personalities, but Wayne is actually an even bigger pain in the behind than she is.

Enemy to All Living Things: Downplayed, while he might take care of the class chinchilla's needs, the chinchilla itself clearly doesn't enjoy being with him and chose to be with Louise.
Jerk with a Heart of Gold: He's one of Louise's most obnoxious classmates, but he sincerely cares about the chinchilla's well-being and can work with Louise pretty well when they set aside their differences.

Kaylee

Kaylee Morganstern

Voiced by: Maya Erskine

A shy, introverted fourth grade girl in Louise's class. Introduced as a student for Tina to mentor during a "Big Fish Little Fish" program, but Kaylee prefers to keep to herself and is awkward when interacting with people.

Bookworm: She really enjoys reading, and during her debut episode she is often seen reading (with Tina repeatedly invading her space).
No Social Skills: Downplayed, Kaylee is awkward and uncomfortable with people, but she nonetheless feels like an outsider and initially wanted to get expelled because of this. She gets better once she joins the Thinkgineers though.
Not So Similar: Kaylee and Tina are both nerdy, awkward individuals, and Tina thought she could bond with her easily because of this but as it turns out they're only awkward in very different ways that ultimately clash. Tina is somewhat more outgoing and a little too eager to bond with Kaylee, to the point where she comes on too strong and makes her uncomfortable. By contrast, Kaylee is much more reserved and unwilling to open up, albeit Tina invading her space and getting too close for comfort (because Tina really wanted to be the best Big Fish to her Little Fish) didn't help.
Shrinking Violet: She's one of the shyer students and is perfectly comfortable reading by herself, and at one point tried to get herself expelled just so she wouldn't have to interact with anybody.

Characters / Bob's Burgers - Wagstaff School

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Staff

Principal Spoors

Phillip Frond

Ms. Jacobson

Ms. Twitchell

Ms. LaBonz

Mr. Ambrose

Ms. Schnur

Mr. Branca

Coach Blevins

Nurse Liz

Mr. Grant

Matilda Merkin

Students

Pocket-Sized Rudy

Eighth Graders

Jimmy Pesto Jr. (James Poplopovich Jr.)

Zeke

Tammy Larsen

Jocelyn

Henry Haber

Susmita

Seventh Graders

Darryl

Sixth Graders

Courtney Wheeler

Alex Papasian

Lenny DeStefano

Peter Pescadero

Fifth Graders

Benj

Fourth Graders

Andy and Ollie Pesto

Rudolph Stieblitz

Millie Frock

Harley

Jodi

Jessica

Arnold Evans

Large Tommy

Chloe Barbash

Wayne

Kaylee Morganstern

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