best high school graduation gifts

17 Best high school graduation gifts

Graduation day is just around the corner and in a few months, high school students would start to move out of their parents’ house, and maybe even leave their hometown to attend college.

With that, we have listed some of the best high school graduation gifts that are proven to be quite useful for graduates as they take on their next journey in life.

What are some of the best high school graduation gifts?

Savings account

This might seem like a very unoriginal and unimaginative gift, but hear us out!

A savings account might be the best gift that you can ever give to a high school student because it would teach them how to value and manage their spending.

Even if they are taking a gap year or not planning to attend college for a few years, a savings account would ultimately help them better manage their money and take responsibility for all their spending.

Getting them a savings account now would also help them in the long-run.

Since banks have lax requirements for students, it is much easier to open a bank account now than later in life.

Headphones

Listening to music through headphones makes the commute much more bearable for everyone. And given that they would probably be spending a lot of time in commute, giving them a good pair of headphones seems like a great idea.

Investing in a great pair of headphones would also benefit them since they can also use it in school. Since college students nowadays can attend classes online, a pair of headphones would allow them to concentrate on their lessons.

The New York Times recently wrote an article on the best headphones. You can check them out here so that you can view some of the options that you can buy.

Power bank

A power bank is one of the best high school graduations that you can give.

After graduating from high school, they would surely be spending a lot of time hanging out with their friends.

That being said, a power bank that can recharge their phone even when they are outside would be of great use to them.

Power banks are especially helpful for them since they are constantly using their mobile phones or tablets.

It would also be useful for when they are studying out with friends during college.

Shoes

Shoes are one of the best and easy-on-the-wallet that you can give to a high school student.

If they are a sneakerhead or just like to collect shoes in general, then all the more reason why you should give them shoes.

It is a practical gift that they can use for several months or years.

The New York Magazine has recently listed some of the best walking shoes for men and women. You can read their article here.

However, we recommend you to not only rely on this list since we all have different taste in shoes. It would be best if you just pick the right one that would suit their taste or liking.

Bag

Everyone needs a bag, especially if they are going away for college.

A bag is a practical and useful gift that you can give to every high school graduate.

Since they would be attending several classes in college, we recommend that you give them a medium size bag that can fit their laptop.

It would be much more convenient to walk around campus with a satchel or backpack, rather than a file laptop bag.

To browse some bags that you can buy, you can check out this article from CNET. Some of the bags they listed are quite great.

Fitbit

If you are a parent and you want your kids to stay fit during college, then you can give them a Fitbit as a gift.

Since they would be moving out and you would no longer be spending a lot of time with them, giving them a Fitbit would help them stay healthy while they are in college.

At the same time, the alarm feature in a Fitbit can be quite useful for them.

Since they would probably spend most of their time in college dorms, the alarm feature in Fitbit is enough to wake them up and not their roommates.  

You can browse through the Fitbit website here.

Speaker

Since almost everyone likes music, giving a high school graduate a speaker as a gift seems like a great idea.

Besides, speakers nowadays are more digital and modern. Apart from blasting loud music, smart-speakers can make everyday life a lot easier.

Some speakers are now voice command devices that provide hands-free activation and interactive actions. Other smart speakers are even wireless that they can take it outside with their friends or just when you are having a picnic with them as a family. 

Wired has compiled a list of some of the best smart speakers in the market. You can read their comprehensive article here.

Camera

Whether they are STEM or art majors, any high school graduate would surely appreciate a camera as a gift.

They can use the camera for their hobby, for when they are with their friends, or for their school projects. A camera is a versatile tool that has much use.

Despite the fact that we can now take a picture with our phone, having a separate camera that shoots high-quality pictures and videos is just different.

They can snap more photos in it and the image quality would be much better rather than just using their phone.

TechRadar listed some of the best cameras that even beginners can use. Read more here

Custom art print

A custom art print is a great moving away present for every soon-to-be-college-students.

It would be a great addition to their college dorm room as well as a great souvenir from home.

Giving custom art print as a gift does not mean that you would print out family pictures and put them in a frame. You can give a custom art print that speaks to them or is related to their hobbies or interests.

This way, they would be more inclined to hang it in their dorm rooms instead of leaving it in their room inside your house.

Card games

Card games may not be on the top of your head when you think of gifts for high school students, but you would be amazed by the selection of fun card games out there.

There are unique card games like Kids Against Maturity, Not Parent Approved, What Do You Meme?, Throw Throw Burrito by Exploding Kittens, and many more.

We know these card games sound a little odd and different, but we assure you that these are fun and wholesome games that they can enjoy with friends and family.

Aside from being one of the best high school graduation gifts, you can even play it with them one last time before they move out for college.

Tablet or iPad

One of the best ways to take notes during classes is through a tablet or an iPad.

If they are a more tech-savvy student, then a tablet or an iPad would be a great help in college.

They can read books, take notes, watch online classes, and even connect with their friends using a tablet or an iPad.

Despite the fact that they can also do most of these things on their mobile phones, it would be much more convenient to read books and take notes on a bigger screen.

Apart from that, a tablet is much easier and lighter to carry than a laptop. So it would be much convenient to use whenever they are studying out with friends.

Coffee maker

Coffee is a lot of college students’ best friends.

It is one of the best high school graduation gifts that you can give to  a  soon-to-be-college-student.

You can buy them a small and easy to use a coffee maker that they can bring to their college dorm rooms.

They would remember and thank you for it, especially when they are in their finals week.

We have found a list of coffee makers suited for a college dorm room. You can check out the article here.

Humidifiers

Another great gift and addition to their college dorm room is a humidifier.

Since they would be spending a lot of time studying, they would have less time to clean and dust out their room.

Giving them a humidifier as a moving away gift would make cleaning in their dorm rooms a lot easier. It would help keep the dust at bay, making their rooms less difficult to maintain.

Some humidifiers also have a calming effect, which in turn makes it more ideal for every college student.

See this New York Times article for the best humidifier in the market.

A good book

Sometimes, a good old fashioned book can also be one of the best high school graduation gifts that you can ever give.

Since they are now starting on a new journey, a good book would essentially help expand their mind and broaden their horizons for the many things heading their way.

Rather than choosing a book based on what they like, choose a book based on what would apply and what would be useful to them instead.

They may not read or appreciate it for now, but as time progresses and they gradually learn new and different things after moving away, they might later thank you and remember you for it.  

Streaming sites subscription

Aside from studying, hanging out with friends, being on social media, and listening to music, one of the most popular pastimes of every student nowadays is watching movies or shows online.

When you buy them a subscription for a streaming site, just make sure that they are still not subscribed to that same site. This way, it would not be a waste of money on your part.

Some of the streaming sites that you can subscribe to them are Netflix, HBO Go, Hulu, Disney+, and so on.

Keep in mind that since this is a subscription, you might have to pay for their services every month or in advance.

Meal Plan

Meal plans have been gaining a lot of traction over the past few years.

Aside from streaming site subscriptions, you can also give a meal plan subscription as a moving away gift.

This way, you would not have to worry about whether they are getting enough food and nutrition during college.

If you are a parent, it is one of the most practical gifts worth considering for your kids.

The best meal plan subscription that you can give them is the one closest to their school.

So for this type of gift, it would require a lot of research on your part.

Amazon gift card

If you are still undecided and none of the gifts we suggested above works for you, then you can just give them an Amazon gift card.

This way, you would not have to worry about picking the wrong gift and they can just choose one for themselves.

Giving them an Amazon gift card would also be much more practical rather than giving them a single store gift card.

Through Amazon, it would be more convenient and they can just choose anything they like online.

Keep in mind that Amazon gift cards are not convertible to cash.

Conclusion

We hope we suggested enough things and give you some idea on what are the best high school graduation gifts.

So to recap, we have listed the following

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Todd VanDuzer

Co-Founder & CEO at Student-Tutor
Hello! My name is Todd. I help students design the life of their dreams by ensuring college, scholarship, and career success! I am a former tutor for seven years, $85,000 scholarship recipient, Huffington Post contributor, lead SAT & ACT course developer, host of a career exploration podcast for teens, and have worked with thousands of students and parents to ensure a brighter future for the next generation. I invite you to join my next webinar to learn how to save thousands + set your teenager up for college, scholarship, and career success!
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