[Recommended for High School Students] New Graduation Songs & Classic Tearjerkers Collection

Homeward Road in MarchHirai Dai

Dai Hirai / The Way Home in March (Lyric Video)

When high school students step into their next stage, Dai Hirai’s “The Way Home in March” truly resonates with those feelings.

This song, which poignantly sings about unforgettable days with an upperclassman, is marked by gentle piano tones and Hirai’s clear, translucent voice.

It’s a graduation pathway walked with gratitude, replaying in your mind over and over.

If everyone sings it together, it’s sure to spark the kind of courage that feels like a push from behind.

I recommend it as a quintessential youth anthem to help you take a fresh step toward the future.

Tomoë GakuenFukuyama Masaharu

Masaharu Fukuyama – Tomoe Gakuen (Full ver.)

Masaharu Fukuyama’s “Tomoe Gakuen” is known as a heartwarming graduation song.

Released in 2017, it has become a fitting track for the season of farewells for many graduates.

Bearing the name of the real Tomoe Gakuen in Tokyo, it was also used as the theme song for Tetsuko Kuroyanagi’s drama “Totto-chan.” Fukuyama’s gentle vocals and resonant sound arrangement deeply move not only young people embarking on a new chapter at graduation, but also adults who fondly remember their school days.

Filled with gratitude, it adds a touch of color to the graduation day.

100% CourageNYC

Yūki 100% (Courage 100%) – “Ninja Kids!!!” (2011) Ending Theme

Since this song is used in a popular anime, I think everyone has heard it.

Because it’s an anime song, you might think it sounds a bit childish, but if you look closely at the lyrics, it’s really uplifting.

Even after graduating, no matter what hardships you face, it makes you feel like you can be brave and keep going.

Graduation song, friends’ song19

19 – Sotsugyou no Uta, Tomodachi no Uta

The school days I drifted through were actually precious.

I’d like to introduce a perfect song for this graduation season that makes you feel that way! While facing your past self, it reminds you of the importance of looking forward and moving on—the song is “Sotsugyo no Uta, Tomodachi no Uta.” Released in 1999 by 19, also known for “Ano Kami Hikōki Kumorizora Watte,” it resonates with a sentimental voice and delicate, beautiful lyrics.

Even if your memories become so important at graduation that moving forward feels scary, this song may stay by your side and give you the courage to accept tomorrow.

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mutō

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Try EverythingDream Ami

Dream Ami / Try Everything (Dream Ami version)

Dream Ami’s “Try Everything” is a song you can use to declare to your teachers and parents, “From now on, I’m going to do my best and walk toward the future!” Released in 2016, this track was chosen as the theme song for the Japanese version of the Disney film Zootopia.

It’s not only the graduates themselves who feel anxious about the days ahead—the teachers and parents who have supported them feel the same way.

Through this song, you can show those around you that you’ll be okay.

Of course, it’s also a perfect song to fire yourselves up.

Graduation ceremonies often bring tears, but this tune delivers bright smiles.

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SAKI

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A Song for Youerica

erica – A Song for You

Erica’s 2013 track “A Song for You” portrays the resolve to honestly convey one’s true feelings on the very last day.

While it’s framed as a love song about confessing to someone you like, the desire to properly deliver words you couldn’t say until the end—even if they aren’t romantic—also resonates with graduation scenes.

Gratitude, determination for the future, and of course the feeling of “I really like you” are all things we must express clearly at the end, here and now.

It may take as much courage as confessing to someone you love, but let this song give you the courage to sing and share those feelings.

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SAKI

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We Look Up to You with Respect

We Look Up to You with Respect

A classic among graduation songs, also selected for the “100 Best Japanese Songs.” Its gentle pace, sung in D major or E-flat major, brings many to tears.

The lyrics center on gratitude to teachers from whom we learned so much, bonds with close friends who supported one another, and appreciation for the familiar school.

It’s a song overflowing with thanks—one you can’t go wrong singing.