32 Thoughtful High School Graduation Gift Ideas Your Best Friend Will Love!

This post is about 32 thoughtful high school graduation gift ideas your best friend is guaranteed to love!

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High school graduation is a significant milestone in a girl’s life. High school graduates have worked so hard throughout school and deserve amazing gifts representative of their hard work!

The biggest problem is trying to find the perfect gift, especially when it’s for your best friend. You want to make sure that it’s perfect and shows how proud you are of all your best friend’s achievements.

These 32 high school graduation gift ideas are perfect for your best friend because they show that you care and will make her/him so happy!

32 Thoughtful High School Graduation Gift Ideas For Your Bestie!

1. College Apparel:

If your best friend is going to college in the fall buying them their school’s college apparel is a very thoughtful high school graduation gift. I bought one of my best friend’s college apparel for her graduation present, and she loved it so much!

Most high school graduates are super excited about college and love representing their school by wearing apparel, which is why this is such a great gift! A lot of college students wear apparel to class most days (I basically live in mine at college), so your best friend will get a lot of use out of your gift as well.

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2. Friends Photo Album/Scrapbook:

When I saw this adorable photo album/scrapbook, I knew that I had to include it in this post! I love giving gifts to my closest friends that incorporate pictures because I think it’s more meaningful! This is such a thoughtful and personal gift idea. The best part is, it’s super easy and inexpensive to recreate!

Want to recreate this gift idea? All you need is a small black spiral scrapbook, metallic and white markers, some cute washi tape, stickers, and pictures! This gift will definitely show how much you care and will make your friend so happy!

3. Picture Frame:

Any picture frame with a picture of you and your friend would make a perfect gift! I really like the one below because it’s unique and would look super cute in your friend’s dorm room.

Want to recreate this frame idea? All you need is a small white frame, scrabble letters, mini clothespins, some cute stickers, and a picture or two!

I love how this frame uses scrabble letters to spell out Best Friends. I’m sure this gift will make your friend smile.

4. Cozy Gift Basket:

This gift idea is so cute! I love the idea of putting together a basket full of cozy gifts like a fuzzy blanket, socks, candles, a mug, etc. I don’t know about you, but I would love to receive a basket full of these things so I bet your best friend will too!

Want to make a cozy gift basket for your best friend? All you need is a basket and some cute gifts. Wrap the finished basket in cellophane and tie a ribbon around it to make it even cuter!

5. Cute Throw Blanket

If your friend is into cute decor, she will love this throw! It’s also the perfect blanket to embellish her dorm bed. It’s also a great color that pretty much goes with any color scheme.

Related Popular Graduation Posts: 20 High School Graduation Party Ideas You Need To Copy!

6. Initial Necklace

I bought this necklace from Francesca’s and wear it all of the time! It is the perfect way to make your outfit look more put together and stylish.

7. Balm Dotcom:

Glossier’s balm dotcom is super hydrating and is just the best! My lips are always so dry and this is one of the only products that actually makes them feel better. Trust me, your friend will love this gift and will be able to use it all of the time! My favorite flavors/tints are rose (perfect for everyone), mango (pretty everyday glossy look), and fig (cute red/pink tint)!

8. Photo Collage Frame:

Making a DIY photo collage for your friend is such a cute gift and will mean so much to her! I made the one above of my best friend and me to hang in my freshman year dorm room. I’ve always been a die-hard Hannah Montana fan and loved the collage Lily made of her and Miley for their dorm room. I always told myself I would recreate it when I was older for my dorm room, so 8 years later I did, haha!

The best part about this gift is that it’s not hard to recreate at all. All you need is a frame and a lot of pictures.

First, cut a piece of paper down to the size of the frame. This piece will be your background. Then, cut pictures in any way you want and arrange them on the paper. Glue them down (I used a hot glue gun) and put the collage inside the frame.

I’m sure yours will look adorable and will make your friend so happy! It will look so cute in your friend’s room too!

9. Battery String Lights:

String lights are a great graduation gift idea! I got lights for all of my friends last year when I went to their graduation parties, and they loved hanging them in their dorm rooms! Dorm rooms are naturally pretty dark so having extra lighting can make your space feel a lot homier.

10. Jewelry Dish

A jewelry dish with a cute message like the one above is such a nice gift idea! My friend bought me a jewelry dish for Christmas, and I use it every day. It is so nice to have on your desk or nightstand and a great place to hold your everyday jewelry.

11. Pixi Hydrating Milky Mist:

If your friend is into makeup or good skincare products, she will love this mist! It’s extremely hydrating and just feels so good on your skin. It’s super refreshing too and the perfect pick me up in the morning.

I learned about this mist from Kailin Chase, one of my favorite makeup artists (and basically a skincare expert!) She swears by this product and she was so right, it’s amazing and a great gift!

12. Fuzzy Socks:

Fuzzy socks are the best and always a great gift! My favorite socks are Aloe-infused socks from Earth Therapeutics. They are literally the softest socks ever!

13. Sunglasses

Sunglasses are a great graduation gift because graduation happens to be before summer. She will be able to wear them all summer and maybe even a little bit at college. These sunglasses are such a cute color and shape!

14. Polaroid Camera:

Polaroid cameras are so much fun! The pictures make such great decorations, especially for a college dorm room! It is also super fun to take cute Polaroid pictures with your friends.

I got my camera from Amazon. They have a ton of different colors and the camera comes with 20 sheets of film. The camera plus the 20 sheets of film are less than $70 on Amazon which is a steal for such a fun a creative product!

15. Manicure & Pedicure Gift Certificate

This would be such a nice graduation gift idea that you can even make a whole day out of. Take your bestie out to the salon, for lunch and maybe even shopping afterward. 

This would be a great way to spend quality time with her while doing something that she will totally appreciate and love!

16. Portable Projector

A portable projector is a great idea to give anyone who is going off to college. One of my friends brought one to college and it made movie nights even more fun!

Think about all of the fun movie nights you and your friend could have with this projector!!

17. Makeup Bag & New Makeup:

I saw a lot of cute gift basket ideas on Pinterest but didn’t see any makeup ones. It would be so cute to buy your friend a makeup bag and fill it up with some new makeup and makeup supplies.

Then, you can wrap the bag in clear cellophane and tie a bow around it. If your friend is going to college in the fall, I’m sure she will love having the bag to store all of her makeup in as well!

18. College Freshman Starter Kit:

If your best friend is going to college to the fall this is the perfect gift! All you need to do is buy a basket and fill it with some college essentials.

Want to recreate this gift? First, buy a basket of some sort. I recommend buying a cute basket like this one so that it can also be used for laundry while looking cute in her dorm! Make sure to buy a big laundry basket with straps so that it has room for a lot of clothes and is easy to carry.

Next, fill the basket up with some college essentials like a cute planner, pens, pencils, sticky notes, shampoo, conditioner, toothpaste, hand soap, loofah, makeup wipes, and more snacks!

19. Portable Bluetooth Speaker:

A portable speaker is an amazing high school graduation gift. It is always fun to be able to listen to music in your room louder than on your phone. It is also fun to have a portable speaker to play music in your dorm room!

20. Personalized Mug:

This custom best friend coffee mug is adorable! If your friend likes to drink coffee or tea this is a great gift! Best part is, she’ll think of you every time she uses it.

21. Cute Room Decorations:

Your friend would love a cute room decoration, especially if she is getting ready to move into her first dorm room! This woven tapastry is so pretty and would look perfect in a boho themed dorm.

22. Journal:

Journals are always cute gift ideas. A journal is especially perfect for graduating seniors because they are starting a new chapter in their life and can write all about it.

23. Clothing:

I don’t know about you, but I love receiving clothes! You’re the best person to shop for your friend’s clothes too because you know them the best. One cute clothing idea are new leggings because they are so practical and would make your friend’s day.

24. Shoes:

New shoes are also a great graduation gift idea! If you’re looking for an idea, LL Bean Moccasins are the best. I wear mine all of the time, especially in college and they are so comfy!

Other cute ideas are Doc Martens, Vans, Air Force Ones, LL Bean Boots, LL Bean Moccasins, etc.

25. Air Pods:

I was late to the Air-pod craze but I got them this past Christmas and I absolutely love them! I have the Air-pods with the charging case. They are especially perfect for anyone about to go to college.

It is nice to have air-pods in college because you can listen to music and be on your phone without disrupting your roommates.

26. Backpack:

If your friend has been using the same backpack for a while she probably really wants a new backpack to start college with.

Make sure to find a backpack that is spacious and matches the girl’s personal style. I have a North Face backpack, and it is perfect for college!

27. Oil Diffuser:

An oil diffuser is a great gift idea because it will make your friend’s room smell so good!

28. Bed Rest Pillow

I didn’t have one of these my freshman year of college but both of my roommates had really fuzzy Ugg ones. I got one later in the year and agree that they make it so much more comfortable to sit on your bed and do work.

29. Craft Supplies:

If your friend likes crafts, this is a perfect and unique gift idea! You can pick out some cute stickers, pens, markers/highlighters, etc.

30. Mini Keurig Coffee Maker

I don’t drink coffee but my college roommate bought this mini Keurig for our dorm room and we all really liked it!

My other roommate and I used it to make tea and it worked really well. It would make a great graduation present for anyone who loves coffee, tea, or even hot chocolate!

31. Gift Card:

Gift cards are always a go-to gift idea! Some gift cards I think high school graduates would love include:

• American Eagle- Best clothing store!
• Lulu Lemon- Super popular leggings that girls love!
• Uber- Great gift card idea for someone going to college who won’t have a car their first year.
• Dunkin Donuts- Perfect for coffee, hot chocolate, donuts, etc.
• Starbucks- Perfect for coffee and hot chocolate!
• Amazon- Literally millions of products available on Amazon!

32. Money:

Money is also a good go-to graduation present. Cash can be especially helpful for anyone who is about to go to college because it is always nice to have a little extra spending money.

Thank you for reading this post on 32 High School Graduation Gift Ideas That Your Best Friend Will Love! All of these high school graduation gift ideas are super thoughtful and will show your bestie how proud you are of them!

If you liked this post and are still looking for more high school graduation gift ideas check out this post on 55 High School Graduation Gift Ideas Girls Will Love!

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