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Dreams about High School – Symbolism and Meaning 

For many people, high school is or was an awkward time in life. Even long after you leave, reminiscing about those days can always take you back to how strange or wonderful it was. After all, it’s where you truly began preparing yourself for the real world, for better or worse.

Most people who dream about high school claim that the dream was about an unpleasant experience. According to an unofficial study done on 128 adults, over 70% had dreamed of their high school and not a single participant claimed that their dream was pleasant or made them feel anything positive. However, this could be more of a reflection of our modern experience rather than something shared across cultures or throughout history.   

Is It Normal to Dream about High School?

That said, many ancients and more modern psychological studies of dream interpretations acknowledge that dreams are a part or extension of our waking reality. This includes images and influences from childhood that come flooding forth in a dreamscape. 

While the study mentioned above isn’t a solid confirmation of dreams involving high school, it does emphasize how common it is to have these kinds of dreams. Since high school, and school, in general, is such an important aspect of our lives, it’s only natural to dream about them.

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Such dreams often reveal our deepest insecurities, anxieties, worries, and concerns in our waking lives. And this may very well be the reason why many people find them to be negative. Such feelings aren’t acceptable, so why would we want to dream about them?

It’s important to understand that if we do not deal with certain aspects of our personalities and emotions in conscious reality, they will surface in our dreams. If we miss something while we’re awake during the day, our subconscious will pick it up and save it for later on.

Dreams about High School – What Do They Mean?

dreams about high school

Since high school dreams can symbolize many things from our conscious experience, there are a host of potential interpretations. They can reflect life events that are either disturbing or they can warn you to be careful about something that could or is already going wrong in your waking life.  

Dreams about high school can also represent feelings of anxiety over an important event coming up or something you’re nervous about that correlate to your high school days. In addition to this, it may also reveal an important lesson you learned during your teenage years.

On the other hand, high school dreams could embody a fear or worry you have because of something you said or signify gaining acceptance by others. However, this depends on what happened in the dream, the elements you recall, and the feelings you experienced.

Dreams about High School – Some Common Scenarios 

When you dream of certain places within a high school, it reflects your current emotional state based on your memories of these areas. If someone broke your heart in a hallway, asked you to the dance in the courtyard, or if you had your first fistfight on the playground, these can all come up in a dream that relates to a situation that occurred in your waking life.

Dreaming about Hallways

Being in a dreamland hallway at high school signifies anxiety. If the hallway was empty, it’s likely your sense of loneliness compounds your anxieties. Even though you may be surrounded by people, you could be feeling completely alone in reality, resulting in your feelings of anxiety. 

Dreaming about Lockers

If you find yourself struggling to open a high school locker in a dream, it could mean that you’re under a lot of stress in your waking life. If you forgot the combination, something could be standing between you and your goals. Opening the locker indicates that success is possible but there will most likely be a period of struggle. 

Dreaming about a Laboratory

Being in a high school laboratory in a dream can symbolize that your feel as though you’ve been wasting your energy on a relationship. It may not necessarily be a romantic relationship but could be a professional relationship with your boss or your colleagues. 

However, if you’re experimenting in the lab, it could signify the new ideas you’re playing around with in your waking life. 

Dreaming about Your High School Library

To dream about being in your high school library could indicate that you feel as though you need to prove yourself and your intelligence to others. It can also indicate a need to get more education to ensure your future and expand on your skills.

Dreaming of the High School Cafeteria or Lunchroom

Seeing yourself in the school’s lunchroom or cafeteria can have various meanings. It could signify the serenity and peace you experience on a daily basis, but on the other hand, it can denote fearlessness and the ability to stand up for yourself.  

This dream could also mean that you have issues with trusting others and feel vulnerable or powerless. What’s more, it can reflect your inner turmoil, feelings of limitation, and restriction. 

If you see other people in the cafeteria, it could emphasize real-life individuals who may be trying to deceive you with falsehoods and lies. However, this can depend on what these people/figures were doing in the dream.

Dreaming about Returning to High School

Dreaming of returning to high school could signify lessons you learned during your time at high school and that you may have to relearn now. It could also relate to a lesson you should have learned back then, but you’re learning it a bit late. 

Dreaming of Failing & Repeating High School

If you dreamed of failing and having to repeat high school, it could mean that you don’t value yourself and your abilities. It could also represent grave doubts you may have about yourself and your achievements. You may even worry you haven’t fulfilled your true potential in life.

Dreaming about Various Subjects of Study

If the subjects of study or type of class were the main theme in your dream, it could mirror your manner of thinking and what aspect of your life is undergoing evaluation.

For instance, attending a history class could mirror your recent reexamining of the past and there are certain aspects you must let go of in order to grow. 

If the subject is math, you’re likely to overcome difficulties with business or you’re looking to solve a serious problem. If you notice a mistake within a math problem you’re solving, it’s likely that you will conquer enemies in your waking life. This can also indicate a dominating character that you may have to cope with.

Dreaming of Being Punished in High School

Punishment, suspension, or expulsion from high school in a dream implies troubles within your social circle. People may reject or outcast you because of something you recently said or did.

Dreaming of Being Pregnant in High School

Dreaming of pregnancy while in high school can represent unhappiness and negativity in your immediate relationships. If you are pregnant by a teacher, you may be seeking advice or knowledge from someone you respect. If you don’t care about what others think about your pregnancy at school, it could mean that you’re taking pride in your work.

Dreaming of High School Reunions

If you dream of being at a high school reunion, it can signify past conflicts and power struggles, or that you often think about past issues in your waking life. If jealousy or rivalry arose during the occasion, it may suggest an attitude of superiority. It’s likely you feel that you’re better than the others around you in some way. 

In Brief

High school dreams are as strange and varied as our individual experiences of them in real life. While it’s true that most people have these kinds of dreams, they often tend to appear when the unconscious mind attempts to work something out or gain some knowledge. These dreams directly connect to your high school days because they relate or associate with something in your life now.

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Apsara Palit
Apsara Palit

After completing her post-grad in Values, Ethics and Indian Culture, Apsara is sharing her knowledge of symbolism, mythology, history and culture through her blogs. Apsara lives in India and believes in getting a first-hand understanding of culture through travelling.