Poems about school are great teaching tools in the classroom! A silly school poem is a fun ice-breaker for back-to-school. A long, classic poem about school is useful for a lesson on expressive language.
A good school poem is able to capture all the contradictory feelings children have about school life. Some hate it and dread going each day, going so far as to feign sickness or invent excuses why they didn't do their homework. Other children delight in the experience of meeting friends, raising their hand when they know the answer to a teacher's question and eating lunch in the cafeteria.
Whatever the child's attitude towards school, you can bet one of these school poems, silly or serious, classic or contemporary, will capture their emotions.
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School Poetry Books
Choose one of these children's poetry books about school to find clever and funny poems about school, teachers, math, reading, school buses and even school bathrooms! Teachers can use these poetry books in the classroom, but they are are great for parents to read at home in preparation for back-to-school.
Note: this list contains Amazon and Bookshop affiliate links. Purchases made through these links may earn a commission for this blog. Bookshop also supports independent bookstores.
School People edited by Lee Bennett Hopkins, illustrated by Ellen Shi - Find it: Bookshop | Amazon
Fifteen poems celebrate all the people who work in the school building, from the crossing guard to the lunch lady. The illustrations depict a dynamic, diverse body of individuals. This collection of school poems is a fun way to introduce new students (think kindergarten) to school life by showing the helpful, friendly adults who work there.
Read! Read! Read! by Amy Ludwig VanDerwater, illustrated by Ryan O’Rourke - Find it: Bookshop | Amazon
This collection of poems celebrates how reading opens up the imagination and forges new pathways to the world. The poems are not just about reading books, but reading maps, sports scores, even field guides.
Edgar Allan Poe's Pie: Math Puzzlers in Classic Poems by J. Patrick Lewis, illustrated by Michael Slack - Find it: Amazon | Bookshop
Poems about math! Did you even know there was such a thing? These short poems are math riddles. The answers are upside down at the bottom of each page so don't worry about getting stuck; you'll never fail this math class.
Contemporary School Poems
Contemporary poems about school tend to be very funny, and the most of the selections here are no exceptions. Use these poems to lighten the spirits of any child who may be apprehensive about school!
Because these poems are under copyright, I've given a teaser of the first few lines, and linked to the full poem elsewhere.
School Poems for Elementary Students
Homework! Oh, Homework!
- from "Homework! Oh Homework" by Jack Prelutsky
I hate you! You stink!
I wish I could wash you away in the sink, ...
Shadows on the wall
-from "Life Doesn't Frighten Me" by Maya Angelou
Noises down the hall
Life doesn't frighten me at all ...
Good morning, dear students,” the principal said.
-from "Good Morning, Dear Students" by Kenn Nesbitt
“Please put down your pencils and go back to bed.
Today we will spend the day playing outside,
then take the whole school on a carnival ride ...
Don’t tell me the cat ate your math sheet,
-from "A Teacher's Lament" by Kalli Dakos
And your spelling words went down the drain,
And you couldn’t decipher your homework,
Because it was soaked in the rain. ...
I love to do my homework,
It makes me feel so good.
I love to do exactly
As my teacher says I should.I love to do my homework,
-"I Love to Do My Homework" by Anonymous
I never miss a day.
I even love the men in white
Who are taking me away.
MORE: Weather Poems and Rhymes for Kids
Poems for Middle School and High School
You cannot pronounce my name.
-from "A Smile Always Heals" by Suma Subramaniam
“Soor-ya.” Not “soar.”
Surya—the sun god.
Mom always tells me that a smile heals everything. ...
The instructor said,
-from "Theme for English B" by Langston Hughes
Go home and write
a page tonight.
And let that page come out of you—
Then, it will be true ...
Turn off the lights.
-from "Nowhere Else to Go" by Linda Sue Park
Wear another layer.
(Sounds like a dad.)
(Sounds like a mom.) ...
Ms. Marcus says that an occasional poem is a poem
- from "An Occasional Poem" by Jacqueline Woodson
written about something
important
or special ...
The teacher asks a question.
-from "The Hand" by Mary Ruefle"
You know the answer, you suspect
you are the only one in the classroom
who knows the answer, ...
MORE: The tips in our poetry reading challenge are helpful for beginning poetry readers.
Classic Poems about School
It was a bit of a challenge finding classic poems about school that modern children would enjoy. You may recognize a few of the selections as famous poems about school.
If you find reading these poems with your children difficult, one tip I have is to read aloud only the first stanza.
Then, talk about the imagery, the rhythm of the words and the feelings they provoke. Move on the the next stanza, but only if you want to! It's okay, especially with younger children, to read only short poems or excerpts from long poems.
To encourage you teach your children who each poet was, I've linked their names to a biography. Just below the list you can grab the printable of all the poems.
- "The School Boy" by William Blake (English, 1757-1827)
- "Two Schools" by Henry Van Dyke (American 1852-1922)
- "Mary Had a Little Lamb" by Sarah Josepha Hale (American 1788-1879)
- "The High School Lawn" by Thomas Hardy (English 1840 –1928)
- "Learning to Read" by Frances Ellen Watkins Harper (American, 1825–1911)
- excerpt from As You Like It by William Shakespeare (English, 1565-1616)
We've put together a printable with all the recommended classic poems about school. Fill out the form with your email and we'll send it over!
MORE: Classic Poems for Kids to Memorize
Happy Back-to-School Days!
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