Who doesn't love a good K-drama about school life? It's like taking an entertaining deep dive into another country's educational system, and not to mention, you also get to vicariously relive the the long-gone wonders of your own youth. Need some great examples?
Below, we list down 15 of the best school-themed K-dramas you can stream online.
15 Best K-Dramas About School Life
1. Dream High (2011)
Six ambitious music stars work toward their aspirations at Kirin Art High School. The series starts with Go Hye-mi, a classical musician with dreams of attending Juilliard, a prestigious performing arts conservatory in New York. Unfortunately, she's forced to put this on hold and enter Kirin instead in order to pay off her father's debts.
Starring: Bae Suzy, Kim Soo Hyun, IU
2. Boys Over Flowers (2009)
Boys Over Flowers trails the poor but headstrong Geum Jan-di as she attends the prestigious Shinhwa High School on a swimming scholarship. Her school life starts out miserable due to her status, and only grows more complicated when she crosses paths with the F4, a group of four handsome and wealthy young men known to hold power over whoever they please.
Starring: Gu Hye Seon, Lee Min Ho, Kim Hyun Joong, Kim Bum
3. Weightlifting Fairy Kim Bok Joo (2016)
This coming-of-age series follows elite collegiate athletes as they chase after their dreams while experiencing life and love for the first time. Promising weightlifer Kim Bok-joo, in particular, finds herself torn between her goals and her unexpectedly blossoming love life.
Starring: Lee Sung-kyung, Nam Joo-hyuk, Lee Jae-yoon, Kyung Soo-jin
4. The Heirs (2013)
Kim Tan isn't your ordinary high school student. He just so happens to be the successor to a large Korean conglomerate called the Jeguk Group. That said, his seemingly charmed life takes a turn when he's exiled to the United States by his jealous half-brother. While there, he meets and soon falls in love with Cha Eun-sang, an ordinary girl hoping for a better life who, unbeknownst to Tan, is also the daughter of his family's housekeeper back in Korea.
Starring: Lee Min Ho, Park Shin Hye, Kim Woo Bin
5. Extracurricular (2020)
Orphaned and left to his own devices, in order to earn money, high school student Oh Jisoo ends up as the faceless mastermind to an elaborate scheme that pimps out girls willing to partake in "compensated dating" for cash. At the same time, he also offers his “employees” protection from potentially psychotic clients. Eventually, the careful Jisoo loses sight of his multi-million won business when his hard-headed fellow classmates get embroiled in his secret.
Starring: Kim Dong Hee, Park Joo Hyun, Jung Da Bin
6. Extraordinary You (2019)
The plot to this peculiar series starts with Eun Dan-oh, a wealthy 17-year-old student with a debilitating heart disease. After catching wind of the odd gaps in her memory she's soon told that she's actually a supporting character in a webtoon. Now aware of her circumstances and her inevitable secondary role in life, Dan-oh sets out to find true love all while scheming to bypass the author's plans for her.
Starring: Kim Hye Yoon, Rowoon, Lee Jae Wook
7. Cheer Up! (Sassy Go Go) (2015)
Two polar opposite school groups are forcibly joined together to form a cheering squad for the elite Sevit High School in Seoul. On this premise, the series follows the trials and tribulations of five different students as they navigate their youth within the prejudices of a vicious school system that fosters academic elitism.
Starring: Jung Eun Ji, Lee Won Keun, Chae Soo Bin
8. Moment at 18 (2019)
In this coming-of-age series, 18-year-old Choi Joon-woo, a reserved introvert, is forced to transfer schools after being sanctioned for a violation he did not commit. His plans to live a quiet, recluse life in his new school, however, is ruined when he's blamed for yet another crime.
Starring: Ong Seong wu, Kim Hyang Gi, Shin Seung Ho
9. Reply 1997 (2012)
Set in the 1990s this particular installment of the Reply series centers on Shi Won, a high school student dedicated to pop boyband H.O.T., along with her five friends in Busan. In a classic case of Definitely, Maybe, the narrative alternates between their school years in 1997 and their reunion as 33-year-olds in 2012 as a mystery couple from the group gears up to announce their marriage.
Starring: Jung Eun Ji, Seo In Guk, Hoya
10. School 2017 (2017)
Ra Eun-ho's dreams of becoming a webtoon artist is compromised when she gets caught in another student's mischievous plan to cause chaos within their school. Her situation only worsens when her classmates pin her as Student X, an unknown troublemaker constantly out to send their corrupt, and classist institution into turmoil.
Starring: Kim Se Jeong, Kim Jung Hyun, Jang Dong Yoon
11. Twenty-Five Twenty-One (2022)
When the IMF financial crisis hits Korea in 1999, golden boy Baek Yi-jin is forced to take odd jobs to sustain himself. While delivering newspapers one day, he crosses paths with Na Hee-do, a boisterous schoolgirl who dreams of being her country's top fencer. Together with their peers, the two go through the motions of growing up in a turbulent social atmosphere.
Starring: Kim Tae Ri, Nam Joo Hyuk, Choi Hyun Wook, Bona
12. A Time Called You
Stuck in a state of grief, Jun-hee inexplicably travels back to 1998 where she meets Nam Si-heon, a high school student who looks just like her deceased ex-boyfriend.
Starring: Ahn Hyo Seop, Jeon Yeo Been, Kang Hoon
13. Love Alarm
Kim Jo-jo has always been one to fend for herself ever since her parents' untimely demise. She gets caught in a love triangle with Hwang Sun-oh and Lee Hye-young, two childhood best friends who harbor feelings for her. This is made more apparent thanks to an app that lets you know when someone in a 100-meter radius likes you.
Starring: Kim So Hyun, Song Kang, Jung Ga Ram
14. True Beauty
Insecure about her looks, Lim Ju-kyung uses makeup to conceal her true appearance. Equipped with a goal of becoming a cosmetologist, she befriends Lee Su-ho, a handsome lad who hates being the center of attention, and Han Seo-jun, a former idol trainee.
Starring: Moon Ga Young, Cha Eun Woo, Hwang In Yeop
15. Weak Hero Class 1
Si-eun is often the target of bullies in his school, and while he can outsmart his tormentors, he still needs help to survive the hallways. This is how he meets Ahn Su-ho and Oh Beom-seok, two friendly pupils who also happen to know how to engage in a brawl.
Starring: Park Ji Hoon, Choi Hyun Wook, Hong Kyung
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