If you got the joke in the title, you’re likely well-versed inThe Simpsons. If you didn’t get it, you might need some extra education to embiggen your pop culture knowledge. You’ll also need it to get that other Simpsons joke I inserted into this paragraph, a vocabulary gag from the episodeLisa the Iconoclast.
With a return to the classroom on the horizon, it’s time to get into the school spirit with some classicSimpsonsepisodes. From the straight-faced dorky nature of Principal Skinner to Homer’s out-of-date, absurd view of school,The Simpsonswasn’t afraid to have fun in the halls of wisdom. All available to stream onDisney+, these are the school-basedSimpsonsepisodes you need to bone up on in your streaming studies.
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Edna Krabappel’s love life becomes Bart’s obsession inBart The Lover. Angered by his teacher’s penchant for dashing fun, Bart pranks Edna by faking love letters for her personal ad. What starts as a chance to manipulate Edna soon turns into pity for a heartbroken Krabappel, forcing Bart to show compassion in his fake persona.
The gulf between Bart and Edna in this episode is rather touching. Bart sees another side of his teacher beyond her confiscation of disruptions and her snarky laugh. This episode was not afraid to embrace the sadness, isolation, and romantic longing that come with being a teacher, especially with how Edna is given more dimension in her co-worker gossip and openness with Bart about her dating pool.
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Lisa’s nightmares of being one-upped in school come true inLisa’s Rival. Allison is the new girl joining Lisa’s classroom, and she turns out to be more driven and intelligent than Lisa in almost every way. Overwhelmed with not being a top student, her jealousy turns bitter with a plan to sabotage a school project.
Challenging Lisa’s egotism for being the smartest kid in class creates great chemistry, especially since Allison is not at all vindictive and makes a decent friend. Bart’s helpfulness with Lisa’s scheme is also hilarious, given his random desire to use a hose and his simplistic scene-making methods. However, the punchline is amazing in how Lisa and Allison are subverted by a corrupt school, whereStar Warstoys will win a school competition.
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Homer finds himself returning to high school forThe Front. After being embarrassed at his high school reunion for never passing, he aims to become a graduate by passing the one class he failed. While he’s still a dope who gets plungers stuck on his head by the end of the episode, he can confidently say he finally beat high school, despite his scrutinizing Principal Dondelinger.
The Frontmight be an episode better remembered for how Bart and Lisa write Itchy & Scratchy scripts through their grandfather, but the high school plot is just as hilarious. Homer’s misunderstanding of classroom materials makes for some hilarious bits, such as taking notes on the teacher’s dead wife and overreacting to burning a donut for a science experiment. The logic of Homer navigating his way through school is amusing enough, capped with the punchline towards his brain about finishing the class so he can get back to killing brain cells with beer.
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Future careers are discussed in the classroom forSeparate Vocations. A standardized test reveals that Bart has the potential to be a cop, while Lisa’s future is speculated to be bleak. With this new perspective on future prospects, Bart takes to enforcing school rules while Lisa turns to the life of a bad girl, going so far as to steal the teacher’s guidebooks for classrooms.
This episode is a double-whammy of school absurdity: the ridiculous career questions on the test and the teachers' freakout about not having readily available answers. There are also some great police parodies in how Bart is framed for both his ride-along with the cops and his teaming up with Skinner to bring order. Lisa’s rebellious streak is also an understandable arc, considering how discriminating the test is for recommending she be a homemaker. That’s enough to make any A-student go full rebel.
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Bart is at his most relatable inBart Gets an “F.”With his grades slipping, Bart may be repeating the fourth grade unless he can pass the final test of the school year. While he does seek some advice from the class nerd, Martin, it’s ultimately up to Bart to study up for the big test, despite all the distractions around him and pressure on his mind.
This was always my go-to episode for explaining why Bart was such an inspirational figure for us kids in the 1990s. Bart’s inability to make it through school is treated less like a quirk and more as a genuine concern, and Bart gets incredibly emotional about the possibility of being held back. It’s one of the most touching episodes and also includes funny moments where the Declaration of Independence is halted by a snow day.
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The worst befalls Principal Skinner inSweet Seymour Skinner’s Baadasssss Song. After an incident involving Bart’s dog, Skinner is fired and tries to find a way to move on from the job he loved. As for Springfield Elementary, the new principal, Ned Flanders, doesn’t fare much better, proving that the school needs someone as dull and routine as Skinner helming the institution.
The dynamic between Bart and Skinner in this episode is sweet, with the way an uncertain Bart handles being around a more casual version of the disciplinarian. There’s also plenty of absurd school jokes to be had, from the openingAlienparody in the vents to the running gag of Martin being held in a suspended cage in the classroom. Some of my favorite Superintendent Chalmers lines are in this episode as well, including his unfair assessment of Skinner’s school being terrible due to ugly children.
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Grade School Confidentialboasts the most controversial affair in Springfield. When Principal Skinner and Edna Krabappel feel lonely, they romantically hook up at a birthday party, with Bart gawking. While Bart is initially coerced into keeping silent, he eventually puts the affair on display for the entire town to scrutinize.
This episode was compelling for how Skinner and Krabappel are portrayed as more fragile figures in their roles as educators. Their romance isn’t treated as goofy so much as innocent and passionate, especially for the stand-off scene where they dance in the school cafeteria. The agency for their relationship is also brilliant with how the episode ends, boasting about deceiving Bart with their continued love behind closed doors.
Lisa finally gets her dream teacher inLisa’s Substitute. Forgoing Springfield Elementary’s dry material, Mr. Bergstrum (Dustin Hoffman) proves as intellectual and emotionally engaged with knowledge as Lisa. At the same time, Bart tries running for class president using every provocative tactic he can think of.
This is one of the more emotional episodes, considering how tenderly it touches on the tricky subject of students falling for their teachers. While the episode can’t resist making a joke aboutThe Graduatefor having Hoffman guest star, the story is surprisingly mature and even tearfully earnest. And that’s saying something for an episode where Bart runs a ridiculous campaign where he’s pro-asbestos.
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Principal Skinner and Ms. Krabappel clash on the issue of school funding inThe PTA Disbands. When Bart stirs the pot, the teachers strike, delighting Bart with freedom and sending Lisa into an anxious state of no structure. To keep the school running, Springfield residents, including Marge, take on the job of playing teachers.
There are plenty of great jokes to be had with the school’s funding going awry, from Skinner’s insistence on kids learning about Tek War to the opening bit involving the school’s rickety bus. Bart’s many pranks in and out of school are ludicrous, and the many amateur teachers have their hilarious, and even quotable, moments (“That’s a paddling”). But I think what makes this episode so great is the ultimate resolve that school funding is just as absurd, relying on a merging of the education and prison system for a darkly comedic conclusion.
When Homer’s ineptitude at work turns out to literally be radioactive, he’s forced to get a college education in nuclear physics. However, since Homer’s dated perceptions of campuses, college has changed a lot. He struggles not only to get used to college, but also befriends three nerds who learn from Homer’s more eccentric ways (but not really).
Homer Goes to Collegeis one of the funniest episodes because it shows how Homer’s exaggerated perceptions of universities are proven wrong. There are some delightful gags involving the uncertain nerds, and the animation is especially charming with Homer’s goofy antics. There’s a brilliant appreciation for universities in this episode, considering that Homer’s dumb nature and old ways make him the butt of many jokes, including one where a bee bites his butt.
you may learn much fromThe Simpsons, ranging from pop culture to vocabulary. What makes the show hold up so well with its comedy is how it reflects our world. With a mix of the exaggerated and the believable, there’s a frank nature to howThe Simpsonsaddresses school for all its quirks, failings, and little moments of charm scrawled on the blackboard.
Disney+
The Simpsonsis one of the longest-running animated sitcoms, involving the absurd comedy of a suburban family.
