Charles M. Schulz’sPeanutsisn’t just a masterclass in comic storytelling, it also manages to expertly capture the feeling of being a kid,complete with all the highs and lows of holiday activities, team sports, and - of course - school. Charlie Brown, Lucy, Linus and the rest of thePeanutsgang (like every child) spends the majority of their time at school, andPeanutsdepicts their hilarious experiences perfectly.
While the comic strips that feature thePeanutsgang in school are as comical as they are accurate, the school-relatedCharlie Brownadventures that are arguably the most fun are the ones that show the gang actually returning to school. All the excitement, stress, and dread associated with going back to school after a relaxing and fun-filled summer is felt by every kid, and remembered by every adult, makingthesePeanutscomics especially hilarious. Here are10 of the funniestPeanutscomic strips about going back to school!
Peanutsbegan as a daily strip on August 15, 2025, andthis was his very first one:
12Lucy is Way Too Excited to Get Linus Up for the First Day of School
Peanuts, 9-4
On the morning of the first day of school at the Van Pelt household, Lucy takes it upon herself to wake up her little brother, Linus. She walks into his room while he’s still asleep, and comments on how much of a shame it is that she should disturb him. However, it seems Lucy was either being facetious, or she had an incredibly fast change of opinion, aswhen it came time to actually wake Linus up, Lucy screamed at the top of her lungs, “SCHOOL STARTS TODAY!!!”.
Linus literally flips out of bed, startled by Lucy’s abrasive wake-up-call. While she’d surely deny it based on the things she said before waking up Linus, it seems as thoughLucy enjoyed startling him out of bed like that for the first day of school- perhaps even a bit too much.
11Charlie Brown has a Similarly Startling Start to the First Day of School
Peanuts- 9-8
Just as Lucy screamed at Linus to wake up for the first day of school, so too did Sally at Charlie Brown, resulting in an identical flip out of bed from the startling nature of this wake-up-call. However, while Lucy was assuredly messing with Linus (in her often flawed way of trying to ‘help’ those around her),Sally woke up Charlie Brown while in a state of sheer panicherself.
Sally didn’t just scream at Charlie Brown, she was running around their entire house screaming, as she was overwhelmed with the stress the first day of school brings on a kid. Because of summer break, Sally can’t remember anything she learned last year, and is desperately trying to recount any information that she may be responsible for knowing upon her return to the classroom -a truly hilarious scene that practically everyone can relate to.
10Sally is Just as Stressed at the End of the First Day of School as She was at the Start
Peanuts- 9-9
Sally clearly didn’t have the best start to her first day of school - something Charlie Brown can attest to - but the end of her day wasn’t much better. WhenCharlie Brown asked how her first day went, Sally absolutely went off the handle. She went on about how the first day of school meant nothing compared to the last day of school, as that’s when all the grades are final, and when one’s future is permanently shaped.
It seems Sally tends to get stressed about the future fairly easily, whether that be the immediate future of a new day, or the more distant future of the end of the year. Either way,it’s clear that Sally didn’t have a very relaxed first day of school, as she was incredibly stressed (about different things) from start to finish.
9Sally Vanquishes Her Anxieties By Getting Over-Excited About Her Studies
Peanuts- 9-20
While it’s been established thatSally has some major anxieties when it comes to school, this comic strip is the first to show readers how she conquers them. Firstly, Sally addresses the fact that she is an “anxious pupil”, at which point she gets right to work overcoming that by getting way too pumped about her studies. There’s even a moment where things get a little weird, as Sally says, “Make of me a vessel for thy teaching” before screaming at the top of her lungs, “LET’S LEARN THOSE CAPITALS!!”.
The good news is, it seems this method of overcoming her anxieties really works for Sally. The bad news is that this method is borderline insane. But,if it works, it works- and insane or not, it’s absolutely hilarious.
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8Even the School Building Itself Has it Rough on the First Day of School
This year, when Sally returns to school, she goes back to find that the school building itself has been rebuilt since the previous school year. While Sally now knows how to handle first-day anxieties,she wants to ensure that the building’s nerves are put at ease for its first day of (being a) school. Sally does this by warning the school that it will certainly receive a lot of criticism from the students, since kids famously hate going to school and often take it out on the school itself. After hearing Sally’s warning, the school actually speaks, saying, “I wanna go home!”.
Sally treats the school building as if it were a first-time student,and like many actual first-time students, the school’s reaction is to want to go home, which is a hilariously bizarre way to capture that universal first-day anxiety.
7Sally Finally Reveals the Sure Way to Get Her Excited about the First Day of School: Bribery
Peanuts- 9-2
It’s been firmly established at this point inPeanutslore that Sally is not a fan of the first day of school. While trying her best to get super pumped about the lesson plan, or even talking to the school building itself has calmed her anxiety in the past,thisPeanutscomic strip finally reveals the one sure-fire way for Sally to actually get excited to go back on the first day: bribery.
While walking with her older brother, Sally comments that school is going to start soon, at which point Charlie Brown asks, “What will it take to get you ready to go back?” to which Sally replies, “Bribery”.Honestly, bribery is pretty much the only constant motivator in a kid’s life, so it’s no surprise that Sally admits it in this comic - though it’s still hilarious that she did.
6Charlie Brown Can’t Even Make It Through His First Day of School without Getting His Dreams Crushed
As a first day assignment, Charlie Brown’s teacher tells his class to write about what they did over the summer. When it was Charlie Brown’s turn to stand up and share, he says that he spent most of his time playing baseball. Chuck then adds that he wants to play baseball professionally, and one of his classmates blurts out, “Good luck!”.
It’s clear that that “Good luck” was totally sarcastic, with the joke being that Charlie Brown is so bad at baseball that there’s no way he could ever play it professionally. It’s not like Charlie Brown was trying out for the majors, he was just sharing his childhood dream. But,because he’s the hapless ‘Charlie Brown’, it should come as no surprise that he couldn’t even make it through the first day of school without getting his dreams crushed.
5Sally’s Summertime Essay is Much Shorter (& Less Tragic) than Charlie Brown’s
While Charlie Brown’s summertime essay opened him up to ridicule from his peers, Sally’s essay is definitely much safer to read in front of the class. When Charlie Brown asks Sally if she wants to watch some TV with him after school, Sally says she can’t, as she has to work on the aforementioned assignment.Sally sits at the table and gets to work, and about 10 seconds later, she’s all done, since the only thing she wrote was, “Nothing"under the title, “What I did this summer”.
Charlie Brown opened up to his class about his dream of becoming a professional baseball player with his essay, and was cruelly mocked for it, which is an embarrassment that his little sister won’t have to experience, since she’s going to stand up in front of her class and literally say, “Nothing”.
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4Nothing Will Ever Make Peppermint Patty Excited about School, Not Even Her Own Excitement
Peanuts- 9-6
Over the years,Peppermint Patty has famously been overwhelmingly disinterested in school, so much so that she usually just sleeps during class. However, Peppermint Patty has decided to turn over a new leaf, telling Marcie how excited she is about this upcoming school year, and how ready she is to start this “adventure that everyone can enjoy”. And then, Peppermint Patty promptly falls asleep.
To be fair, Marcie does say that Peppermint Patty did better than she usually does when it comes to staying awake during class, saying, “That wasn’t bad… “the excitement of learning” lasted fourteen seconds!”. But, while perhaps a new record for Peppermint Patty,staying awake for only about 10 seconds in class before falling asleep isn’t great, and it seems not even her own excitement could keep Peppermint Patty interested in school.
3Peanuts Uses the First Day of School to Show How Good a Big Brother Charlie Brown Is
Peanuts- 9-4
On this first day of school, Charlie Brown and Sally are waiting for the bus together instead of simply walking to school. This would be Sally’s first time riding the bus, and Charlie Brown could tell that she was a bit nervous. At first, Sally plays it cool. But, as the bus approaches, Sally freaks out and says she isn’t ready to ride the bus. Rather than mocking her,Charlie Brown tells his little sister that it’s okay if she doesn’t want to ride the bus, and that he’d be happy to walk with her to school.
It’s moments like this that remind readers whyPeanutsis such a beloved and timeless comic strip, as it’s not afraid to show the subtle, heartwarming side of childhood, not just the humorous side. And that’s why this is one of the 10 bestPeanutscomics about going back to school.
