Skip to main content

School Pranks: The Best Pranks to Play in a Classroom!

Want to play a trick on your classmates or, more importantly, your teacher?

🤣
Beano Team
Last Updated:  October 6th 2023

Hi, Harsha here! We all know that school is very important, but even teachers will agree that it can be really dull sometimes. A dog running across the playground might be the most exciting thing ever, but that doesn’t happen very often.  Everyone can remember the last time a dog ran across the playground. It's such an event and a relief when they're caught and in the safe hands of their owner. But has anyone ever thought about the fact that these dogs might be excited to learn something? Or it could be the delicious smells coming from the school canteen window. And until the day dogs can speak, we'll never fully understand.

Maybe a small prank might liven a maths lesson up or make the teacher smile during a tough science lesson. Maybe it's best to do it when there's no lesson. We're just saying.
 
My family loves pranks so much, we run a practical joke shop in Beanotown. So it makes perfect sense for me to offer some prank tips which will make your day. As with all pranks, remember to pick your moment, not hurt anyone’s feelings or play a practical joke when your teacher is trying to teach you something really important. We can't stress that bit enough.  

If you love these fiendishly fun school pranks, why not check out our 20 Camping Pranks, 20 Funny Pranks To Do On Family, 20 Funny Birthday Prank Ideas and 10 Ways To Wake Someone Up With A Prank.

But first, check out these awesome prank suggestions!

1. The apple prank!

Fill your friends backpack with loads of apples. Simple to do and very healthy!

A pile of apples

2. The egg timer prank!

If there's an egg timer in your kitchen and no-one needs it urgently, this is the prank for you! Set it to go off during a lesson by giving it a twist and hiding it somewhere near where your teacher stands. They'll get a little shock and won't be able to work out where the ringing is coming from!

3. The upside-down computer!

If your teacher leaves the room for a moment, take a screen shot of their desktop and flip the image and save it as their background. It'll look like their computer has turned upside down. Fiendish!

4. The sticky tape chair!

Before your friend comes into the lesson, quickly use some sticky tape to attach their chair to the desk! Whether you fix both legs of the chair to the desk is completely up to you! One leg might make more noise as the chair moves around! You don't need a pineapple for this one; they just wanted to learn about the prank for their own amusement!

5. The magical clock!

If your classroom has a clock, read on! You can either take the battery out and set the time to the end of the school day or you can just change it to a random time to confuse your teacher! Please note: this will not make your lessons end any quicker!

6. The birthday cake!

If it's someone's birthday in your class, use some actual sponges and some shaving cream to create a realistic Victoria sponge cake. Don't bother with the candles as you will get into trouble.

A birthday cake

7. The fake poo prank!

Get a fake poo toy and put it on someone's desk or right in the middle of the floor. Simple, but effective – and very clean. Everyone will think a fox sneaked into the classroom and did a mess!

8. The bubblewrap prank!

If there's any bubblewrap lying around your house – maybe someone ordered a package from a very popular online shop – lie it out underneath your teacher's desk. When they pull their chair in to do some work, there'll be loads of popping going off. Easy to do with a satisfying reaction!

9. The name peg prank!

If your school has names above your coat pegs, simply make a load of new tags and give your classmates the impression that everyone is called Keith now. You can use any name you like.

10. The vegetable prank!

What's this? Someone's ordered a box of donuts for the class? How lovely! Oh, it's a selection of fresh fruit and vegetables. It's far healthier for you, we suppose!

11. The school menu prank!

Make your own outrageous school menu on a school computer. Print it out, make it look fancy and stick it where people can see it on their way into the canteen. You can choose any food you like, but may we recommend the snot pie or warm ear wax dessert? Mmm.

12. The balloon prank!

Find a walk-in cupboard which is used regularly and fill it with balloons. Look surprised when the teacher wonders how they got in there!

Balloon Jokes

13. The fart prank!

This classic prank features the use of a whoopee cushion. When someone is about to sit down, slide it under them to create a long, satisfying fart sound without any disgusting smells.

A whoopee cushion

14. The insect prank!

No-one likes the idea of being confronted with a bug while they're trying to solve a tricky maths problem. That's the ideal time to bring out a small box of plastic insects!

15. The 'For Sale' prank!

Make people think that there's a special sale of flies taking place in someone's classroom. Imagine their disappointment when they can't buy a new pet.

16. The fake test prank!

You'll need to be prepared for this one. Surprise your entire class with a fake quiz and leave them on their desks. Make the questions total nonsense!

A student taking an exam

17. The light switch prank!

A small piece of tape is all you need for this effective prank. The teacher won't be able to turn the light off and think that they've lost all the strength in their finger for a moment. It's best to use clear sticky tape instead of this brown parcel tape below.

Light switch prank

18. The itchy head prank!

Want to make people scratch their heads? Just scratch yours while you're talking and hint that there's a case of head lice going around school. Everyone will automatically start to scratch their hair. We're doing it now and we're just writing about it.

A woman scratching her head

19. The note prank!

Teachers absolutely do not tolerate notes being secretly passed around in class. So you should absolutely do this prank, and here's the best bit. On the note, say how great your teacher is and how you're really enjoying this lesson. When they catch the note being passed around, they'll be so happy, they'll forget to tell you off!

20. The birthday prank!

Pick a person in the class and get everyone to sing 'happy birthday' to them. They'll be confused and a bit embarrassed. If it is there birthday, then you've done a nice thing. This one can't fail!

21.The left-handed pencil prank!

This may look like a normal pencil, but it's definitely for left-handed people. Tell the teacher you can't do any work without one.

22. Wrap your teacher's phone in rubber bands!

Then call it. It'll be impossible to answer! Unless they've got a pair of scissor handy...

23. Change seats every time the teacher turns their back!

Not all at once. Just you. Start with the person next to you. Then go to the back. Then to the front. Shrug when the teacher asks what you're doing. 

24. Cover the class completely with tin foil!

This will take ages but will be worth it. When the teacher asks why the classroom is covered in foil, just say you want to keep the lessons fresh. They'll laugh. You'll laugh. Then you might get detention because it's such an awesome prank. 

Giphy

25. Put an 'Out of Order' sign on the teacher's toilet!

Simple, but very effective. Make sure it looks like an official sign for maximum impact.

acmchome.com

26. Put a sticker on the teacher's computer mouse!

This very subtle prank will make your teacher's mouse useless. They'll even leave the classroom to get help. That's the best time to remove the sticker and it'll be like nothing happened at all and make your teacher look silly.

27. Raise your hand for no reason!

If the teacher asks what you're doing, just say that your hand is full of helium. And it's free to do, so everyone wins.

28. Dress your dog in a shirt and tie!

Bring your pet into class and pretend it's a new student called whatever your dog's name is. Dave, call the dog Dave.

A dog wearing a shirt

29. The most epic prank ever!

Get hundreds of cups and fill them with water and place them carefully all through the school corridors. This will cause mayhem and no-one will be able to get to their classroom without getting wet socks. Don't own up to the this prank though, as you'll be made to pick them all up!

jawdene | reddit