UPDATED: February, 2024
Whether you are shopping for your own daughter, your granddaughter, your daughter’s friends or family friends, don’t automatically default to money for graduation gifts.
The list below contains 31 meaningful and practical gifts that every graduating high school girl is sure to treasure. You can always tuck a little cash into the card as well if you are so inclined!
These gift ideas are organized by price range. Jump to a price range below or simply scroll the list. We also have a list of gift ideas for high school girls if you need those ideas too!
High School Graduation Gifts Under $25
So many of these would be affordable and thoughtful gifts for your daughter’s group of graduating friends as well.
1) Personalized Embroidered Train Case – Everyone needs a cosmetic bag for travel. Add an initial or monogram and additional design elements if desired to these quilted embroidered train cases.
2) Monogrammed Tote Bag – The classic Lands End canvas bag available in so many colors with the added touch of an embroidered monogram. This will be a useful staple throughout college and beyond.
3) Personalized Embroidered Shower Caddy – A shower caddy is something she will use every day. These are best suited for those with a community bathroom.
4) Personalized embroidered Turkish Beach Towel – A big beach towel is great for the beach or the lake but also perfect for lounging in the quad. And it is OEKO-TEX® certified too! (certified no toxins)
5) Personalized Shutterfly Notebooks – These personalized notebooks would make a great gift for a group of girls. Use their prom picture, team picture or a collage of pictures as the cover. For just one recipient, feature a special picture of the graduate with her favorite pet or in her new college fan gear.
6) Personalized Zippered Portfolio – She’ll be ready for interviews, club meetings and other professional-inspired activities with a professional-looking zippered portfolio.
7) Personalized Pillowcase – With a sea of white pillowcases sure to be congregating in the dorm laundry room or college apartment, help her to know which one is hers, without a doubt.
8) Indoor/Outdoor Slippers – A must-have for those with a community bathroom! Uf you’ve been around a college campus lately, slippers with outdoor soles are apparently a must-have for going to class too! If you want the splurge slipper with the brand name, see these below in another price range.
9) Clear Bag For Sporting Events And Concerts – I bought this for myself for the Taylor Swift concert! The gray trim has a subtle iridescence that makes this clear bag just a little bit dressy. You can add a guitar purse strap (easy to switch out with this bag), and you could also add a college logo decal on the side to make it perfect for game days.
10) She’s Birdie Personal Alarm – Check out the benefits of the Birdie and the new Birdie+ Model, and use code PSA15 to take 15% off the cost of the device. I have a friend getting these for a group of graduating girls, and she has someone local making little vinyl decal monograms to put on the Birdies.
High School Graduation Gifts $25-$50
11) Popular Weekender Bag – This bag is a viral sensation with older teen girls. If your daughter or her friends don’t have one yet, how about one in a different color for the group? These are so affordable as well as durable and spacious. My favorite part is the trolley sleeve on the back so you can slide it over your suitcase telescoping handle when traveling for longer than a weekend.
12) Sentimental Photo Book – Are you already pulling together photos of the graduate for a slide show? Collecting them is the hardest part, so now you can easily create a hardcover photo book with those memorable photos. Capture the memories and send them to a school with a gift they can look to whenever they’re feeling lonely or missing home.
13) Monogrammed Towel Set – I’m a firm believer in sending only ‘quick-dry’ towels to college. Dorms tend to be humid and damp without great airflow. This monogrammed towel set is 100% cotton and indicates a ‘quick-dry design’.
If you want to take care of monogramming yourself, I recommend these quick-dry towels. Ask for recommendations in your local Facebook group to find someone or a shop to monogram/initial just the bath towels or perhaps include a small monogram on each of the smaller towels too to help keep them identifiable.
14) Coach Lanyard/ID Holder – A classic elegant ID holder for college ID’s or nights out on the town where you don’t want to carry a purse or wristlet.
15) Birkenstock Shower Shoes – If you just want to spoil her with brand name shower shoes, Birkenstock shower shoes will be a huge hit!
16) WOOZOO Fan – This is a top 5 college must-have dorm essential. These little fans don’t take up much space, but the create an absolutely amazing amount of airflow by oscillating in every direction (up, down, left, right, circular). You need to find the right model though – it must the WOOZOO with the perfectly round head, at least 5 speeds and a remote. The link above will take you to Costco which is the only source for new WOOZOO’s. If you aren’t a member, they will typically allow you to purchase online with a minimal non-member fee. While you may find these on other retailer sites, please be aware that these were likely returns and may have an issue. Only buy WOOZOO fans from Costco.
17) Custom Pet Pillow – Take 25% off with the link to the left. All About Vibe is a leader in custom pet pillows. The pillows are handmade in the USA (Chicago) and come with a 100% satisfaction guarantee – they will remake until you are 100% pleased.
18) Lululemon Belt Bag – Not just a trend, but also a must have for walking around campus. Maybe you can find one in a college color.
19) Stanley Tumbler – Stanley tumblers are a huge trend for teen girls – the ones with the side handle. These are available in a 30 oz and a 40 oz model. In addition to Stanley, other popular brands include Owala Water Bottles and HydroFlask Water Bottles.
20) Stackers Jewelry System – A beautiful modular solution for jewelry storage. Since these stack (hence the name!), they take up less counter/shelf space in a college dorm or small college apartment. Start her with a few trays and add on for birthdays and holidays. She’ll get years of use from this thoughtful storage.
21) College Fan Gear – Throw Pillow – Check the college bookstore for options, or order on Etsy for a customized option. Consider adding their major (eg: College of Business) or their sport (eg: Softball) under the school name/logo.
High School Graduation Gifts $50-$100
22) WiFi Bluetooth HD Projector With 120″ Screen – These are popular with college students as a means to make new friends. Offer to host movie night on your hall or in your dorm common area with your very own, very affordable portable home theater setup.
23) Keurig K-Mini Coffee Maker – This is the smallest footprint Keurig model which makes it great for dorm rooms or new apartments.
24) The North Face Jester Backpack – One of the most popular backpacks for college guys and girls is The North Face Jester. And The North Face makes this in a womens’ size to better fit a smaller frame. The Jester includes a padded laptop sleeve, water bottle holders, lumbar support and a limited lifetime warranty. This backpack will get them through college for sure.
25) 4-Pack Apple AirTags – An incredibly helpful tracker for iPhone owners to help them keep up with important items. Put one in your wallet, in your backpack, in your car and on your ID/lanyard and be able to track them down with a quick look at your phone.
26) Kendra Scott Elisa Necklace – A coveted necklace available with different materials and stones. You can’t go wrong with any of them.
High School Graduation Gifts Over $100
27) Laptop Tote Bag – A classic Coach tote will be just what she needs when she starts going to professional meetings and interviewing for internships, or splurge on a Tory Burch tote bag if you really want to up your graduation gift!
28) UGG Tasman Slippers – These were the big gift at the holidays and are still hard to find. If they’re not available at the link at the left, try these UGG Tasman’s at Champs Sports.
29) Samsonite Hard-Side Luggage – Luggage can be an expected graduation gift item, but it doesn’t have to be ‘boomer looking’ – there are some great options in unique colors. This hard-side Samsonite luggage is popular with young adults. It is currently available in 3 sizes and 7 colors. It is best purchased at Kohl’s on sale and with a coupon, or a similar popular Samsonite luggage set can also be found at Macy’s in 3 sizes and 5 colors. For another highly-rated option in even more fun colors, check out these iFly Luggage Sets.
30) Apple iPad – An iPad can be a game changer for note taking. Used with one of the popular note-taking apps makes taking notes and keeping them organized easy. You can also add an Apple Pencil for those who like to take hand-written notes or need to draw as a part of their note-taking. iPads are also a preferred device for watching shows with their larger screens.
31) Premium Mattress Topper – A gift that will make a difference every night if they will live in a dorm. Make that thin springy vinyl dorm mattress into a comfort zone with a Sleepyhead mattress topper. You’ll need to know the student’s mattress size at their dorm before purchase.
Bonus Idea: Write A Heartfelt Letter
Our high school, and I know many others, offer the opportunity to have friends and family send a letter to students via their school. The school collects the letters and presents each student with an envelope at some point toward the end of the school year. In our case, they are distributed at the graduation rehearsal.
But you don’t need a school prompt to write a letter.
I do this every year for family friends, my kids’ friends, and anyone I know well who is graduating high school.
I tell them what I love about them, what I think shines in them and offer just a little life advice that I think is appropriate for their situations. It isn’t easy, and it takes time. And I’m often shedding a tear during the process as I think through memories and envision what these kids will become one day.
If you have special kids in your life, I encourage you to take the time to do this. You can include pictures if you have them, or just your own gift of words.
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