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'Clueless,' 'Sky High' and 10 more movies that'll spark your kids' back-to-school spirit

It's hot. The pool is cool. And the kids are holding on to summer vacation, where time is an obscure concept and alarm clocks are creatures of myth.

But before you know it, there will be forms to fill out, supplies to buy and rigid schedules to keep.

So how do you go from perfectly lazy summer days to getting up early five times a week and staying on top of homework?

A family movie night might help.

Here are 12 movies about kids and school to help everyone get in that back-to-school frame of mind.

(As always, everyone's family has different standards, so pay attention to ratings and check content warnings at sites such as commonsensemedia.org before you stream.)

Elementary, middle school and older

"Diary of a Wimpy Kid" (PG, 2010):

Greg (Zachary Gordon) is a 12-year-old transitioning from elementary school to middle school who schemes to improve his status in the social pecking order. Things don't always work out according to plan.

"Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone" (PG, 2001):

Sure, buying supplies at Target isn't nearly as exciting as picking up books in Diagon Alley, but everything else about Harry's first year at a new school is just like yours, right? New friends. New teachers. Team sports. A deadly magical object to find...

"High School Musical" (TV-G, 2006):

The kids of East High are putting on a show and not all the drama's on the stage. This is exactly what high school is like — if you asked a second-grader. Still great fun, though. But beware: The songs are infectious and you'll be humming them for weeks.

"Napoleon Dynamite" (PG, 2004):

Not everyone in high school is popular and beautiful. Sometimes they're, well, all-around awkward. And that's OK. I could say that's why I picked this strange but winning comedy for the list. But mostly it's because Napoleon's Preston High is where my parents met. And when you see exterior shots of Napoleon's house, look up the road. That white farmhouse is where my dad grew up.

"Sky High" (PG, 2005):

When the children of superheroes and supervillains go to school, they go to Sky High, where they're divided into hero and sidekick tracks. If only there were a superpower for challenging an overly rigid social order. Loads of fun with superhero tropes featuring Kurt Russell, Mary Elizabeth Winstead and a supremely well-cast Lynda Carter.

"Wonder" (PG, 2017):

A boy with facial deformities enters a mainstream school for the first time as a fifth-grader, causing the community to grapple with issues of compassion and acceptance. Starring Owen Wilson and Julia Roberts and based on a true story.

Middle-school and older teens

"School of Rock" (PG-13, 2004):

Whether you'll go for this depends entirely on your tolerance of Jack Black. But if your Black threshold is high, you'll find a lot to like in this tale of an unlikely teacher and a classroom full of improbable elementary-school rockers who get straight A's in an advanced course of sticking it to the man.

"Rushmore" (R, 1998):

Max Fischer (Jason Schwartzman) is the extracurricular king of his posh prep school. But his poor grades put him on academic suspension. Soon he finds himself in a love triangle of sorts with a pretty teacher (Olivia Williams) and a wealthy older industrialist (Bill Murray). It's not the Wes Anderson-iest Wes Anderson movie you'll find, but it's pretty Wes Anderson-ey. Whether that's a positive or negative is entirely up to you.

"Election" (R, 1999):

Perky overachiever Tracy Flick (Reese Witherspoon) wants to be class president. Teacher Jim McAllister (Matthew Broderick) will do anything to stop it. This is political satire with bite.

"Clueless" (PG-13, 1995):

Rich and popular Cher (Alicia Silverstone) tries to play matchmaker with a classmate in this most Valley Girl adaptation of Jane Austen yet.

"Fast Times at Ridgemont High" (R, 1982):

Whoa! Sean Penn, Jennifer Jason Leigh and Judge Reinhold are REALLY young in this teen-comedy classic about sex, drugs and growing up in Southern California in the early '80s.

"Bring It On" (PG-13, 2000):

Kirsten Dunst stars as the new captain of the cheerleading squad who discovers that the previous captain stole their moves from an inner-city school. With Eliza Dushku and Gabrielle Union.

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