'There are reasons I never go to my high school reunions': Top 20+ cringe school memories

Ben Weiss • Writer and Editor

Aug 19, 2023 4:00 PM EDT

No matter how popular you were in school, there was definitely a moment when you either literally or figuratively fell flat on your face. That moment is seared in your memory for as long as you are living. Perhaps it haunts you when you go to sleep and you wake up in the middle of the night completely paranoid that you forgot to wear underwear to class. Perhaps it affects your daily routine somehow, like always bringing an extra change of clothes with you in case you have an uncontrollable bathroom accident. Or perhaps it haunts your dating life, like that time you asked someone to prom and they asked who the heck you were.

We've all had cringeworthy moments from school that we look back on with pure embarrassment. Reading about other people's stories, like the ones compiled from this r/AskReddit thread, might provide you with a sense of relief that everyone has been through it in some way. Or perhaps it just brings you back to your all-time embarrassing moment, and if that's the case, we're not too sorry. Because as I'm writing this, I'm remembering that time my voice cracked so badly during my chorus solo at the school-wide assembly. Sometimes, in the silence of the night, I still hear that voice crack and I shudder.

Keep scrolling below for a look at what these folks went through in school. When you're finished, take a look at this compilation of top Karen moments.