42 Best Ideas For Writing a School Essay: A Guide

Writing a school essay can be fun and enjoyable if you do it the right way. Although it’s a bit of a complex process and it takes time and motivation, you can find a way to make it gratifying for you. But, the number one condition for writing a great school essay, and loving the process, is choosing the right topic to cover.

That means that coming up with a great essay idea is extremely important. If you fail on this first step, there’s no way you’ll ever write a high-quality essay or get good grades. Luckily, we’re here to help. Below, we’ll share the 42 ultimate ideas for writing a school essay, and some bonus useful tips. 

Table of Contents

School Essay Ideas

Argumentative School Essay Ideas

The first type of essay you could choose is an argumentative essay. This type of writing requires you to choose a topic and clearly state your position on it. Then, you need to collect evidence and find research, or findings that will support your main argument. Finally, you’ll need to reason your claim and conclude strongly using the evidence you’ve collected.

Here are some ideas to cover.
1. Should euthanasia be made legal globally?
2. Capitalism vs. socialism: which economic system is better?
3. Is gender bias still a globally recognized problem for women?
4. Will the LGBTQ+ community ever experience full equality?
5. Should children have limited screen time?
6. Can a healthy diet impact a child’s emotional development positively?
7. Can beauty pageants negatively impact young girls’ self-esteem?
8. How harmful is cyberbullying for elementary school students today?

Descriptive School Essay Ideas

Next, you could choose to write a descriptive essay which will allow you to be a bit more creative and includes a personal experience. Simply put, a descriptive essay is the type of writing in which you describe an event or something that happened to you in the past. 

9. My first trip abroad.
10. The summer before senior year.
11. My birthday surprise part.
12. Visiting the Grand Canyon.
13. Learning how to surf.
14. The best concert I’ve ever been to.
15. The strangest childhood memory.
16. My most embarrassing memory.
17. My favorite toy as a child.
18. A road trip with my best friends.

Typically, students choose to write about something exciting and memorable. If you choose a great idea but still struggle with writing, Trust My Paper can help. Their professional writers can help you brainstorm ideas for your paper or simply write, edit, rewrite, or proofread your essay to make sure it’s perfect.

Compare and Contrast School Essay ideas

When it comes to comparing and contrasting types of essays, it’s all about finding two things that can be discussed in terms of differences and similarities. You need to be careful not to choose something too obvious or simple, since it will lower your academic score and prevent you from writing a good essay.

We suggest something you’ll be able to cover in-depth.
19. Homeschooling vs. attending a public school
20. Reading books digitally vs. reading the original printed books
21. Alternative medicine vs. traditional medicine
22. Working in an office vs. remote work
23. Life with children vs. life without children
24. Vegan diet vs. vegetarian diet
25. Summer in the city vs. summer at the seaside

And, if you’re among the 75% of US students who are stressed out by homework, this type of essay writing may be a great choice for you. It’s straightforward writing that requires less creativity and more research skills.

Expository School Essay Ideas

Expository essays are supposed to explain a term or notion neutrally. That means that you as the writer won’t be focusing on your personal opinion about the topic, but rather presenting the general understanding of it.

26. Unemployment in the USA in the 20th century
27. The negative effects of social media on the self-image of its users
28. The ethical dilemma of eating animal products
29. Natural ways to relieve anxiety and stress
30. Proteins in our diet: health essentials
31. Feminism in the Victorian Era
32. The effects of plastic waste on the environment
33. Social and economic problems of the 1970s America

Critical Analysis School Essay Ideas

Finally, if you’re a fan of literature essays and want to analyze and write about a novel, short story, poem, or any other piece of literature, you can write a critical analysis essay. Your job is to choose a piece of literature and analyze one aspect of it.
Here are some ideas.
34. Social mobility and roles in Moll Flanders
35. The Scarlet Letter: is it a profeminist novel?
36. The metaphor of Dorian Gray’s portrait
37. The resilience of the human spirit in The Old Man and the Sea
38. Romeo and Juliet as star-crossed lovers
39. The changes in the relationships of the main characters in Pride and Prejudice
40. Moral values in Tom Sawyer
41. Gender roles in the Great Gatsby
42. Social mobility and roles in Twelfth Night
You must maintain a neutral and consistent tone throughout this essay.

How to Make Sure You’ve Chosen Right?

Even though there are a ton of ideas you could cover in your essay, not all those ideas will fit you personally. Therefore you need to ask yourself:

  • Is this topic a good choice for me?

You’ll find out the answer by ticking the following boxes:

  • you’re interested in exploring the essay idea
  • there are enough credible resources on the subject matter
  • you have a strong or clear attitude on the topic
  • you can brainstorm ideas on what to cover in the essay

This rule stands for both high school and college paper writing. You simply need to make sure you’ll be able to complete your writing assignment without too much trouble. Then you’ll know you’ve chosen the topic wisely.

Final Thoughts

Whether you like writing school essays or not, it’s something you have to do as a student. Writing assignments can be challenging, but if you find a topic that’s your perfect fit, you’ll do it quickly and easily.

Hopefully, our tips and ideas for writing a school essay helped you find the inspiration and motivation you need. Use them for your next writing assignment and good luck.