High school graduation is one of the most pivotal events in any person’s young life. No matter whether a graduate is going straight to college, taking some time off from school, or entering the workforce, completing high school is a monumental achievement! Help celebrate their accomplishments with a gift that will help them move seamlessly into the next phase of their life.
Here are 35 gift ideas that any high school graduate will love.
Technology
Tech gifts to help them transition to their next phase in life
Laptops
Dell XPS 15
The XPS 15 is Dell’s premium laptop and the best Windows laptop on the market. It provides exceptional performance and strong battery life. It can be configured with a discrete Nvidia GeForce GTX 1650 Ti GPU for gaming performance or image and video editing.
Macbook Pro 13”
The Macbook Pro 13” is the perfect laptop for most users. Built with Apple’s new M1 CPU and M1 GPU, the laptop promises speedy performance for work or gaming, and a full terabyte of storage. A laptop that will serve all the needs of the high school grad in your life.
Macbook Air
For those who don’t need the full processing power of a Macbook Pro, the Macbook Air offers a more than suitable alternative at a discounted price. Configured with Apples M1 chip, the Air provides powerful performance in a thin, lightweight laptop. It is even capable of running both Mac and iOS apps for iPhone and iPad, giving users access to mobile applications on their laptop.
Tablets
Apple iPad Pro 11”
The iPad Pro is a perfect gift for creatives. Illustrators will love the suite of design apps available on iPad, including the newly released Adobe Photoshop for iOS, launched in November 2019.
Microsoft Surface Pro 7
For Windows users, the Microsoft Surface Pro 7 is affordable and powerful. The Surface is a 2-1 laptop, offering the full functionality of a typical Windows laptop in tablet form. Capable of running the whole Adobe Suite smoothly and functionally, it easily meets the needs of creative grads. Paired with the type cover keyboard, it functions well as a primary laptop.
Portable Charger
Anker PowerCore 20100
We’ve all had our phones die at the most inconvenient of times. A portable charger comes in handy for daily use and particularly for travelling. The Anker PowerCore holds 7 whole phone charges, fits in your pocket, and provides high-speed charging. Perfect for a grad who loves traveling and exploring the great outdoors.
Smart Speaker
Amazon Echo
Smart speakers are a digital assistant, smart home command center, search engine, and speaker system all rolled into one. The new Amazon Echo brings together great sound and the full power of Amazon Alexa, making it a useful toy that any high school grad will love.
Headphones
Apple AirPods
A good pair of headphones is an essential tool for everyday life. Apple’s AirPods are wireless, durable, easy to set up, and deliver high-quality sound. If you want noise cancellation, try the AirPods Pro.
Lap Desk
Home Office Lap Desk
Send them off to college or work with a workspace they can use in bed. The Home Office Lap Desk easily fits a 15-inch laptop and a mouse, and it even has a cell phone holder.
Smartwatches
Apple Watch SE
The Apple Watch SE is Apple’s mid-level smartwatch product. The Apple Watch SE is an updated version of the Series 3, with a faster chip, more advanced health and safety features, and available with LTE functionality. An all-in-one fitness tracker, wallet, and phone, it’s the perfect smartwatch for any Apple user.
Samsung Galaxy Watch 3
The Samsung Galaxy Watch 3 is the best available smartwatch for Android users. With a classic, elegant design, the Galaxy Watch 3 has a strong 2-day battery life, music storage space, contactless payments, and fitness features.
Clothes and Accessories
Clothes and other items that you can be sure they will use in their post-graduate life
Travel Bag
Herschel Novel Duffle Bag
Get them ready to pack for college with a duffle bag that will help them travel in style. This bag from Herschel comes in 25 different colors, is durable, and easily portable.
Backpack
Tortuga Setout Divide Backpack
The Tortuga Setout Divide Backpack is a versatile backpack that is suitable for daily use, travel, and outdoor activities. The backpack features storage for a laptop and an expandable design that opens up the available storage space from 24L to 34L. All around a great backpack that is fit for daily use or backpacking.
Tote Bag
L.L. Bean Boat and Tote
The L.L. Bean Boat and Tote is a heavy-duty cotton canvas tote bag notable for its durability and versatility. Affordable and built to last for decades, this simple canvas tote can easily handle 50+ pounds. Perfect for grocery shopping, the beach, or for picnics in the park. Also excellent for lugging a couple of notebooks and a laptop between classes.
Cuyana Classic Passport Case
The Cuyana Classic Passport Case is a sleek, handmade, and sustainably sourced leather passport case and travel wallet. Measuring 9” x 4”, it is longer than the average passport case, and capable of storing a boarding pass in addition to a passport, credit cards, and paper money. It makes a great gift for a high school grad planning to travel or study abroad.
Running Shoes for Men
Asics Gel-Nimbus 23
College is a great time to build healthy habits. In particular, it is a great time to start exercising regularly, and a pair of great running shoes will help them get started. Asics Gel-Nimbus 23 aren’t the most attractive set, but they are lightweight, supportive, comfortable, and breathable.
Running Shoes for Women
Asics Gel-Nimbus 23
The best running shoe for men also happens to be an excellent choice for women. Asics shoes are carefully designed to provide ideal support for runners, providing comfort and helping to prevent injury.
Sweatshirts
Animal House “College” Sweatshirt
Send them off to school with one of the most iconic college movie shirts of all time.
College Sweatshirt
If sarcasm isn’t their style, get them a sweatshirt that actually represents their school. Fanatics sells sweatshirts for most major universities.
Sweatpants for Men
Champion Reverse Weave Joggers
Champion set the standard for sweatpants long ago. These lightweight jogger sweatpants have a classic look and a comfortable brushed interior. Wear them at home, at the gym, or around campus.
Sweatpants for Women
Everlane Lightweight French Terry Jogger
These sweatpants are among the softest you’ll find, and for sweats, they look pretty good too. Ethically-produced with high-quality materials, these sweatpants are a perfect gift for a woman who likes to lounge.
Framed Picture
Framebridge Custom-Framed Gifts
Nothing lasts longer than memories. Help the graduate in your life remember high school with a framed picture of friends or family.
Fun and Games
Life hits you fast after high school. Here are a few fun toys to help relieve the stress.
Cards Against Humanity
Billed as “a party game for horrible people,” Cards Against Humanity is a guaranteed good time for anyone who loves crude jokes (and who doesn’t) and one of the best icebreaker games around. If they already have it, give them an expansion pack.
Catan Board Game
Take game night up a notch. Catan, previously called The Settlers of Catan, is one of the most popular strategy board games around.
Classic Poker Set
No game night is complete without a poker set. This set features two packs of cards, 500 durable chips, and dealer and blind chips.
Retrospec Harper Coaster Single Speed Bike
On many campuses, a bike is an indispensable travel tool. The Retrospec Harper Coaster Single Speed Bike is fast, simple, light, and easy to maintain.
Spikeball
Make your way to any public park or beach during the summer and you’re sure to find someone playing Spikeball. Easy to learn, set up, and play anywhere, this game is a perfect outdoor activity.
Food and Drink
Food and drink gifts to help them get used to living on their own
Map Pint Glass
Is the high school graduate in your life leaving their hometown for the first time? Get them a home town maps glass to help them remember their roots. Well Told Design makes customizable map glasses that can be etched with a map of any town in the United States.
Yeti Rambler 36 Oz Bottle With Chug Cap
The Yeti Rambler is one of the best water bottles on the market. It is dishwasher safe, with temperature retention, and capable of holding both cold and hot beverages. Perfect for hikes, camping trips, or trips to the gym!
HyperChiller
Don’t let them waste their hard earned money on café-bought iced coffee. The HyperChiller cools down beverages in just 60 seconds.
Nespresso Vertuo Next
The Nespresso Evoluo is the one-cup coffee machine for coffee enthusiasts. Nespresso machines are capable of brewing espresso, double espresso, and regular coffee instantly and effortlessly using Nespresso pods.
Entertainment
Entertainment gifts to help ease the stress in the off-hours
Film and TV
Hulu with HBO Max Subscription
With thousands of TV shows and films, including iconic shows and movies from the past and present, a Hulu subscription is a great gift for any high school grad. Throw in the HBO Max add-on, which provides access to HBOs entire streaming collection.
Roku Streaming Stick+
Stress doesn’t end after high school. Everyone needs a way to decompress and binge watch their favorite shows and movies. Portable and easy to set up, the Roku Streaming Stick+ provides access to all the most popular streaming services.
Music
Spotify Premium
One of the most popular streaming services available, Spotify Premium hosts a massive music library, fantastic features for discovering new music, and social features that enable you to follow what your friends are listening to. If a music-loving high school grad in your life doesn’t already subscribe to a streaming service, they will surely love Spotify.
Ultimate Ears Boom 3
Every graduate needs a speaker to help them jam out with their friends. The Ultimate Ears Boom 3 is loud and waterproof, so they can use it indoors and on outdoor adventures.
