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

pupilŌhara Sakurako

Sakurako Ohara – Hitomi (Music Video Short ver.)

I think graduating and moving on to a new path can make you feel anxious.

At times like that, listening to this song will make you feel, “It’s okay, let’s do our best.” Sakurako Ohara’s gentle yet powerful voice lifts your spirits and makes you feel positive.

I felt that if you listen to this song with your friends during graduation season, it will make everyone think, “Even if we go our separate ways, let’s keep doing our best.”

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.

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.

expand_lessRaise the rankingexpand_morelower

SAKI

Report a problem

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.

expand_lessRaise the rankingexpand_morelower

SAKI

Report a problem

GRADUATIONSBACK-ON

GRADUATIONS (Theme song for V-Cinext 'Kamen Rider Gotchard GRADUATIONS')

This is a song that gently encourages you as you say goodbye to close friends and take a step onto a new path.

Holding the memories of precious friends you spent time with, it captures the wavering feelings of young people heading toward their respective futures through an emotional melody and powerful guitar sound.

The track serves as the theme song for “Kamen Rider Gotchard GRADUATIONS,” released by BACK-ON in February 2025, and stands as a supportive anthem that stays close to the major life turning point of graduation.

It blends seamlessly with the worldview of the V-Cinext production, further heightening the work’s emotional impact.

It’s a perfect song for the grand finale of a school or cultural festival and for making memories with friends.

While feeling the importance of friendship and bonds, this song gives you the courage to take your first steps toward the future.

People and PeopleYugeda Kensuke

"Hito to Hito" (Lyrics: Tomohiro Iwai, Music: Kensuke Yugeda, Performance: Toin Gakuen Elementary School) — a choral piece for a music concert

This is a warm piece that sings about the importance of encounters through music.

The fresh melodies woven by Kensuke Yugedate carry a gentle calm while conveying a moving message.

In clear, resonant words, it speaks of the joy born from human connections and the inevitable meaning hidden within chance meetings.

Delivered by the pure voices of the Toin Gakuen Elementary School Choir, the work is also slated to appear in elementary school music textbooks starting in 2024.

Its kind, uplifting message is perfect for children who are about to meet new people in a new environment.

As they take their next step in school life, this wonderful song will give them courage and hope—please give it a listen.