‘High School Musical’ Songs, Ranked

Oh, high school, the one place you could truly be yourself as a budding teenager as long as that self fits with a pre-established social group. In High School Musical, East High’s caste system consists of jocks, nerds, skater kids and, of course, theater kids. But when students find out Troy, star basketball player, is dabbling in thespianism, the whole program gets rocked. Cue the Disney Channel Original Movie’s best number, “Stick to the Status Quo,” a song that feels like the childhood equivalent of finally following your straight-laced coworker on social media and finding out they spent their weekend dancing on bar tables. The song encourages viewers that your hobbies don’t define you, and the ability to bake apple pandowdy as an adolescent is something to be proud of and should be screamed from the top of the lunchroom table. —Elise Brisco

What better way to kick off a Disney classic than with this sparkling, totally made-up karaoke number that resulted in a meet-cute for the ages. In the glow of New Year’s Eve, Troy Bolton and Gabriella Montez are forced to karaoke together, and the song’s optimistic notes and hopeful lyrics help them realize both their musical and romantic chemistry. Pay no mind that they literally just met and yet both of them can magically sing a track they’ve never heard of, complete with vocal trills, ad-libs, and enough charisma to make the music soar. It’s the kind of magical suspension of disbelief that can only happen in a Disney movie. —Maya Georgi

This swelling number comes at a truly climactic moment: After Troy and Gabriella have spent the whole movie fighting their inner voices, they finally sing in front of the entire high school, unleashing their true selves. With melancholy opening notes pushed up against a chorus that bursts with heart, it’s a song that can make anyone feel invincible, and the true pinnacle of High School Musical’s message to celebrate what makes you different. In fact, the track could’ve easily been the official curtain closer. It’s no wonder “Breaking Free” became the most commercially successful song on the High School Musical soundtrack, soaring to No. 4 on the Billboard Hot 100. —M.G.

Just as Troy is thinking about auditioning for the school musical, you know “for extra credit,” his best friend Chad (played by Corbin Bleu) admonishes show tunes. “The music in those shows isn’t hip-hop or rock, or anything essential to culture,” he says. So of course, High School Musical delivered a culture-shifting track built off the sound of basketball dribbles and sneakers screeching across a court. How’s that for an unconventional show tune? The stellar, basketball-inspired moves are the cherry on top, and proof that Ortega made the whole cast bring their A-game. —M.G.

What comes after multiple shenanigans, musical auditions, a budding romance, a sabotage plot, and a wining basketball championship? A celebration at a giant blow-out pep rally. The film’s finale pulls every single cast member at the center and has them lead the entire school in a massive dance number, building up to the kind of sweeping, feel-good ending that Disney excels at — and sets up a few more sequels. —Julyssa Lopez

Besides cooking up ridiculous plots to keep Gabriella and Troy apart, the twin troublemaker duo of Sharpay and Ryan excel at one other thing: Cringetastic show tunes. They put their skills on display with “What I’ve Been Looking For,” a duet so theater-kid-coded and so sugary sweet that it actually ends up being kind of iconic. (Their music teacher is living for it, at least.) Plus, the song is a quick reminder that these budding stars — especially Lucas Grabeel, who plays Ryan — can sing their faces off. —J.L.

While the sabotage plot that Troy and Gabriella inexplicably fall for in the movie is befuddling and dated (the web camera!), it did give us this gem of a track. After Gabriella is convinced that Troy is a meathead jerk, she walks around the school hallways, singing out her heartbreak with this touching ballad. It’s the first glimpse into Hudgens’ pop singer dreams (before both “Back to Me” and “Sneakerhead”) and the way she dances around the stairway banister, pausing to belt a high-note, was proof of her star power. Bonus points for Gabriella’s envious, mid-2000s outfit — which first cemented Hudgens as a style icon, way before the flower-crown Coachella era. —M.G.

This song is the sweeter, slightly less enchanting version of “Start of Something New.” As Kelsi shows Troy and Gabriella just how heartfelt and slow-tempoed the audition number is supposed be, the pair’s undeniable twin flame energy shines through. Over the simple melody, Troy and Gabriella embody tender lyrics like “So lonely before / I finally found what I’ve been looking for” and make them hit that much harder. (No wonder the snippet got them a callback.) —M.G.

This song has a lot of promise until the characters, Sharpay and Ryan, open their mouths — showing off what feels like exaggerated Spanish they learned in the required language class they need to graduate. The two are the “it” theater kids, whether that’s widely accepted among East High or just in their heads is up for debate, and their song “Bop to the Top” puts their unbridled hubris on display. As the two shimmy and bop around the stage in their school auditorium, bragging on their ability to get whatever they want to win, they fall flat both figuratively and musically as the verses roll out. The chorus is absolutely catchy, the choreography is fun (especially when Sharpay bops Ryan into subservience at the end), but overall, the song is not a soundtrack highlight. It’s a bop to the bottom. —E.B.