Ready to deck the school halls and welcome everyone to your classroom? These back-to-school bulletin board ideas are exactly what you need, including displays created by teachers in the We Are Teachers HELPLINE Facebook group. There’s something here to match every teacher personality, and lots of them are easy enough for anyone to do. Make this your best back to school ever!
Make the first thing your students see a bulletin board that lets them know they’re welcome in your classroom, every day and in every way.
Courtesy of Shuwana
1. Retro Gameplay
Even if students don’t recognize Pac-Man, teachers will certainly appreciate the dose of nostalgia.
Courtesy of Nelcy S.
2. Bienvenidos
We absolutely adore this cute idea for a Spanish teacher’s classroom. Create this bright and happy bulletin board using little more than some card stock and your imagination. The best part? The sun’s rays with each of the students’ Spanish and English names on them.
Courtesy of Rhonda Vogt
3. Smart Cookies
This adorable bulletin board is the perfect way to welcome very young students, like pre-K or kindergarten, back to school with a friendly and silly face: Cookie Monster! Use a variety of cookie types for each of the students’ names.
Courtesy of Sarah Arney
4. Look Who’s Poppin’
Pop into the new school year with this delicious-looking board!
Courtesy of Christina Bartell
5. A Positive Message
Turn that negative self-talk into something positive! Perfect for students who need a little encouragement.
Courtesy of Sarah Arney
6. Sprinkle Possibilities
Everyone’s favorite sweet treats make an easy and adorable back-to-school bulletin board. Write student names on the donuts and you’re good to go.
Courtesy of Lindsey Daly
7. Solid Advice
Who better to give advice on middle school than outgoing middle schoolers? Have them write their best words of wisdom before the end of the school year and then use them to welcome your new class in the fall.
Courtesy of Sarah Arney
8. Shine Bright
Watch little faces light up when you welcome them to your classroom with this shining idea. Preprinted cutouts make this one an easy board to create in no time flat.
Courtesy of Hilary Statum
9. 3D Flowers
You can buy kits to make those large paper flowers, or just simplify things and cut 2D floral shapes out of colorful paper.
Courtesy of Brooke Blake
10. Future Leaders
Every student can be a leader. Fill a bulletin board with sticky notes with students’ names and their own personal goals or ambitions.
Reading and Library Back-to-School Bulletin Board Ideas
The books are glad students are back too! These bulletin boards encourage a love of literacy from the very first day.
Courtesy of Amy B.
11. Amazing Authors
This would be a clever bulletin board to welcome students back to a library or an ELA classroom.
Courtesy of Amy Brownlee
12. Book Recommendations
This bulletin board or case cover idea is a great way to merge summer reading with an ELA curriculum for the new school year. Use books on the left side that your students might have read over the break and match them up with some awesome suggestions.
Courtesy of Brooke Blake
13. Reading Matters
Back-to-school bulletin boards that instill a love of reading are a great way to start off any school year. Create a bulletin board or label cabinet doors with the words “Reading Matters to Me Because …,” and then have students create signs about why it does.
Courtesy of Brooke Blake
14. Reading Vibes
This is a cute way to assess how your students feel about reading throughout the year while teaching a statistics lesson as well! You can get the entire grade involved by sharing the stats for all of the classrooms.
Courtesy of Amy Brownlee
15. Score With a Book
If you have sports lovers in your classroom, then you have to try this cute display case that will hopefully inspire some good old-fashioned page-turning. It’s perfect for fall when football season is kicking into high gear.
Courtesy of Amy Brownlee
16. Unleash Your Superpower
This bulletin board may take a little longer to re-create, but we think it will be well worth it. You could even update it depending on what subject you teach, so instead of saying “Reading,” say “Math” or “Science,” etc. We especially love the 3D cape.
Courtesy of Amy Brownlee
17. A Hulking Display
How fun is this display case? We love the idea of using the Incredible Hulk to draw little readers into a good book, as well as using all green book covers!
Inspiring Back-to-School Bulletin Boards
Share hope, love, and good vibes with these ideas, and create a positive environment for the year ahead.
Courtesy of Nicole Bostic
18. Tell Me Something Good!
Teacher Nicole says, “If you have an extra bulletin board, I highly recommend this. Students share good things from their week, and I read a few on Fridays. They share the small stuff, from waking up on time to placing in a race or sharing they got to eat their favorite food. My students look forward to this every week!”
Courtesy of Brooke Blake
19. Love Languages
This is a great way to welcome upper elementary all the way through high school students back to school. Let them know they are loved right off the bat while also giving them agency to decide which love language best applies to them.
Courtesy of Tim Krecsmar
20. A Good Message
This concept is so simple yet it conveys an important message to students. We love the idea of welcoming middle or high school students back to school with a reminder that things are going to be OK.
21. Go After Your Dreams
This dreamy board is actually quite simple to make using colorful strands of paper and yarn.
Courtesy of Nicole Whitley
22. Be … YOU!
This inspirational board provides lots of wonderful personality traits to inspire students to be their true and amazing selves every single day.
Courtesy of Brooke Blake
23. Encourage Leadership
Teaching your students what makes a good leader/role model is so important to having a healthy classroom environment. A setup like this one will certainly promote a leadership mindset.
Courtesy of Talyna Sandine
24. Up, Up, and Away
This bulletin board takes a cue from the beloved Pixar movie Up. The actual balloons are the real icing on the cake, but make sure little hands aren’t tempted to pop them!
More Creative Back-to-School Bulletin Boards
Looking for more options? Take a look at these ideas!
Courtesy of Susan Stierlen
25. Hispanic Heritage
Hispanic Heritage Month starts in September so we think this is the perfect back-to-school bulletin board idea. It would work especially well in an art class since it features famous Mexican artist Frida Kahlo. Have each of your students create their own self-portrait to display as well.
Courtesy of Hilary Statum
26. Writing Center
It can be hard for students to get back into the groove of going to school all day, especially with all the extra reading and writing required of little brains. This cute and homey writing center setup can make the transition back to school easier.
Courtesy of Hilary Statum
27. Math Center
Similar to the writing center, we love this math center idea for welcoming students back to the classroom. Teacher Hilary Statum utilizes some great Ikea hacks in addition to the cute bulletin board.
Courtesy of Talyna Sandine
28. The Sky Is the Limit
Up and away! These paper lantern hot-air balloons will definitely raise spirits in your classroom.
Courtesy of Brittany G.
29. News Center
Set up a news bulletin board right from the beginning of school so students know exactly where to turn for updates. It’s also convenient for those days when parents visit your classroom.
Courtesy of Aimee Jensen
30. Everything Board
This is a perfect board to take center stage in an early elementary classroom, and it really sets the tone for the year. It contains so many important pieces of information like the days of the week and clocks showing what time each of the subjects will be taught. It also reinforces how to spell various words as well as how to read analog clocks.
Courtesy of Nicole Mei
31. Dive Into Learning
If you’d rather be under the sea, try this board and invite students to dive in. Just swap out the word “summer” for “learning” instead.
Courtesy of Sarah Arney
32. Superheroes in Training
If you can see it, you can be it! Invite kids to visualize themselves as superheroes with these cute caped crusaders. Put any inspirational message you like across the bottom.
Courtesy of Naomi Meredith
33. Happy Campers
Bring in all the adventurous vibes to the school year with this camper bulletin board idea. The window planters are our favorite part! You can add kids’ names or photos to this blank canvas too.
Courtesy of Amy Brownlee
34. Who Said It?
Interactive boards allow your students to feel included even on the very first day. This one will certainly get the attention of all the Swifties in your classroom!
Courtesy of Lindsey Daly
35. Today’s News
Encourage kids, especially older ones, to keep up-to-date on current events. In doing so, you can help them better understand historical events.
Courtesy of Lindsey Daly
36. Climate Change Awareness
This is the perfect bulletin board for a science or social studies classroom in middle or high school. Set the tone for the year by getting them involved in activism on an important topic like climate change right from the start.
Courtesy of Brooke Blake
37. Study State History
If you’re a middle school social studies teacher, this is the perfect back-to-school bulletin board for you! Begin the school year by learning about your home state, then work your way through all 50. Keep books about your state on display and for classroom reading.
Courtesy of Lindsey Daly
38. Research, Register, Vote!
This is the perfect project/bulletin board to welcome a civics or social studies class back to school. You can hold a mock election and talk about the importance of voting (and becoming an informed voter at that)!
