Retro Video Reveals What High School Was Like in the 1970s

Going to school in 1977
Going to school in 1977 | Vampire Robot

Today's teenagers may wear flared jeans and listen to Fleetwood Mac, but they would still be lost in the 1970s. To see how much the high school experience has changed in the past 50 years, check out the video above.

This footage, shared by Vampire Robot on YouTube, captures an average day for teens at Andover High School in Bloomfield, Michigan, in 1977. The retro cars, clothes, and hairstyles are an obvious sign of the times. Instead of crisp iPhone quality, the school and its students are rendered on grainy film. The fact that so many high schoolers can't pass by without looking at the camera is another reminder of how uncommon such technology was outside of a movie set at the time.

After starting in the parking lot, the filmmaker shows us Andover's halls, gym, and indoor pool. If you lived through the era, the tour should be a nostalgic trip. If you were born in the 21st century, you may be shocked to see so many teenagers in one place without a phone in sight.

You don't have to look back as far as the 1970s to find a teenage experience that feels alien by today's standards. The 1990s were also a different world in many respects. For an idea (or reminder) of what it was like to be a teenager at the end of the last millennium, check out this "day in the life" video from a high school student in 1990.