I think we don't give enough credit to teachers. They are paid like crap and usher us through the difficult years of our lives as we work to discover who we are.

There are lots of great movies about teachers and the teaching profession, but I wanted to make myself a top ten. This was hard, but I tried to make a diverse list that really reflects lots of different aspects of teachers and of students, as well.

Let's dive in.

1. Dead Poets Society (1989)

  • Director: Peter Weir
  • Writer: Tom Schulman
  • Cast: Robin Williams, Robert Sean Leonard, Ethan Hawke
This is the North Star for "inspirational teacher" scripts and a movie I go back to all the time. Weir and Schulman nail the stifling 1950s tone. Keating’s "Carpe Diem" feels like a revolutionary act that makes you want to be better. It’s a masterclass in building an ensemble where every student has a distinct, heartbreaking arc.

2. The Prime of Miss Jean Brodie (1969)

  • Director: Ronald Neame
  • Writer: Jay Presson Allen (based on the novel by Muriel Spark)
  • Cast: Maggie Smith, Robert Stephens, Pamela Franklin

We love a complicated protagonist, and Jean Brodie is one of the best. She isn’t a hero; she’s a warning. This movie shows the dark side of mentorship and how easily "inspiration" can turn into "indoctrination." Teachers are not always the good guys!

3. Election (1999)

  • Director: Alexander Payne
  • Writers: Alexander Payne, Jim Taylor
  • Cast: Reese Witherspoon, Matthew Broderick, Chris Klein

This is an all-timer for me. Most teacher movies are about saving the kids; this one is about a teacher trying to destroy one because he hates her. And that feels very real to me. It’s a pitch-black satire that exposes the pettiness that can exist in the faculty lounge. It’s a necessary inclusion to keep the genre honest.

4. School of Rock (2003)

  • Director: Richard Linklater
  • Writer: Mike White
  • Cast: Jack Black, Joan Cusack, Mike White

It’s a perfect script. Seriously. Mike White delivers a masterclass in structure, and Jack Black gives a performance that is pure energy. You want to blast the radio at the end of this movie, and you wish you played an instrument.

5. To Sir, with Love (1967)

  • Director: James Clavell
  • Writer: James Clavell (based on the novel by E.R. Braithwaite)
  • Cast: Sidney Poitier, Judy Geeson, Christian Roberts

Poitier is the ultimate cinematic presence. The guy could carry anything he starred in. And here, he shines once again. He plays Mark Thackeray with a dignity that forces his rowdy students to lean in and learn from him. Soon, he's changing their lives. It’s a brilliant study in how a protagonist can win a conflict by simply refusing to descend to their opponent's level.

6. The Holdovers (2023)

  • Director: Alexander Payne
  • Writer: David Hemingson
  • Cast: Paul Giamatti, Da'Vine Joy Randolph, Dominic Sessa

A new movie that really shook everyone one season and I think has become a perennial favorite for me. Payne is a god of the "human-scale" movie and character. This film avoids every sappy cliché and highlights a bitter, cold, funny, and ultimately warm look at three lonely people. They all realize everyone, teacher and student, is trying to just figure out life.

7. Wonder Boys (2000)

  • Director: Curtis Hanson
  • Writer: Steve Kloves
  • Cast: Michael Douglas, Tobey Maguire, Frances McDormand

This captures the "Professor" vibe perfectly—the weed, the unfinished manuscript, the messy personal life. It’s a vibe-heavy character study that shows a different side of academia than most movies. But it also inspires you to want to learn and to just dig deeper within.

8. Half Nelson (2006)

  • Director: Ryan Fleck
  • Writers: Ryan Fleck, Anna Boden
  • Cast: Ryan Gosling, Shareeka Epps, Anthony Mackie

This is the antidote to the "White Savior" trope that people really hate. The teacher is broken, the student is observant, and the movie refuses to give you a "happy" ending, opting for a "truthful" one instead. It's about learning and addiction, and believing in someone to be better than they think they can ever be.

9. Mr. Holland’s Opus (1995)

  • Director: Stephen Herek
  • Writer: Patrick Sheane Duncan
  • Cast: Richard Dreyfuss, Glenne Headly, Jay Thomas

This is the "Epic" of teaching movies. It deals with the passage of time better than almost any film on this list. It’s a great example of a character who starts with one goal (composing) and discovers their true purpose was the thing they thought was in the way.

10. Educating Rita (1983)

  • Director: Lewis Gilbert
  • Writer: Willy Russell
  • Cast: Michael Caine, Julie Walters

This is a two-hander that focuses on adult education and the quest to never stop learning. Caine and Walters have chemistry that’s impossible to fake, and it makes you want to pick up a book after and to explore your world. It's a movie about curiosity.

Summing It All Up 

These are my favorite movies about teachers and probably about lessons, too. But I know you have a ton I left off the list that you think should be on the list.

Let me know what you think in the comments.

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