Schools are an integral part of most people’s lives and experiences. From preschool through university, school shapes who we become as adults. With so much time spent in classrooms and hallways, it’s no wonder that schools are the subject of many riddles. Here are 107 riddles about schools, with the answers provided. Test your own knowledge or use these to stump your friends!
Riddles about School Subjects
Math Riddles
1. Riddle: What has numbers but no intellect?
Answer: A calculator.
2. Riddle: What has roots as nobody sees, is taller than trees, up, up it goes, and yet never grows?
Answer: A mountain.
3. Riddle: What gets bigger the more you take away?
Answer: A hole.
4. Riddle: What has a neck but no head?
Answer: A bottle.
5. Riddle: What belongs to you but others use it more than you do?
Answer: Your name.
6. Riddle: What goes up and down but does not move?
Answer: Stairs.
7. Riddle: What has four fingers and a thumb but is not alive?
Answer: A glove.
8. Riddle: What has a face and two hands but no arms or legs?
Answer: A clock.
9. Riddle: What can you catch but not throw?
Answer: A cold.
10. Riddle: What gets wet while drying?
Answer: A towel.
Science Riddles
11. Riddle: What is full of holes but can still hold water?
Answer: A sponge.
12. Riddle: What is always in front of you but can’t be seen?
Answer: The future.
13. Riddle: What can you break, even if you never pick it up or touch it?
Answer: A promise.
14. Riddle: What goes up and never comes down?
Answer: Your age.
15. Riddle: What comes once in a minute, twice in a moment, but never in a thousand years?
Answer: The letter M.
16. Riddle: What can travel around the world while staying in a corner?
Answer: A stamp.
17. Riddle: What belongs to you but others use it more than you do?
Answer: Your name.
18. Riddle: What is always coming but never arrives?
Answer: Tomorrow.
19. Riddle: David’s father has three sons: Snap, Crackle, and _____?
Answer: David.
20. Riddle: What is full of holes but still holds water?
Answer: A sponge.
English Riddles
21. Riddle: What starts with E, ends with E, and has only 1 letter in it?
Answer: Envelope.
22. Riddle: What 4-letter word can be written forward, backward or upside down and can still be read from left to right?
Answer: NOON.
23. Riddle: Forward I am heavy, but backward I am not. What am I?
Answer: TON.
24. Riddle: What word becomes shorter when you add two letters to it?
Answer: Short.
25. Riddle: What occurs once in a minute, twice in a moment, but never in one thousand years?
Answer: The letter M.
26. Riddle: What belongs to you but is used more by others?
Answer: Your name.
27. Riddle: What word in the English language does the following: the first two letters signify a male, the first three letters signify a female, the first four letters signify a great man, while the entire world signifies a great woman. What is the word?
Answer: Heroine.
28. Riddle: What 5-letter word becomes shorter when you add two letters to it?
Answer: Short.
29. Riddle: Which letter of the alphabet has the most water?
Answer: The C.
30. Riddle: What thirteen-letter word becomes shorter when you add two letters to it?
Answer: Shortening.
History Riddles
31. Riddle: What US president served the shortest term in office?
Answer: William Henry Harrison.
32. Riddle: What year was the Declaration of Independence signed?
Answer: 1776.
33. Riddle: What ancient civilization built Machu Picchu?
Answer: The Incas.
34. Riddle: What explorer is credited with discovering the Americas?
Answer: Christopher Columbus.
35. Riddle: What queen said “Let them eat cake” when told the peasants had no bread?
Answer: Marie Antoinette.
36. Riddle: What war began in 1914 and lasted until 1918?
Answer: World War 1.
37. Riddle: What explorer landed in the Americas in 1492?
Answer: Christopher Columbus.
38. Riddle: What three countries made up the Allied Powers in World War II?
Answer: The United States, Great Britain, and Russia.
39. Riddle: What ancient civilization was known for its pyramids?
Answer: Ancient Egypt.
40. Riddle: Who was the first US president?
Answer: George Washington.
Riddles about School Terms and Functions
Riddles about School Terms
41. Riddle: What has four wheels and flies?
Answer: A garbage truck.
42. Riddle: What school subject is the longest?
Answer: History, it goes on and on!
43. Riddle: When does Friday come before Thursday?
Answer: In the dictionary!
44. Riddle: What school subject is the tallest?
Answer: History, because it has so many dates!
45. Riddle: What’s the heaviest school subject?
Answer: Chemistry, because all the solutions are liquid!
46. Riddle: Why did summer vacation go to jail?
Answer: Because it was three months long!
47. Riddle: Why do pencils get tired at school?
Answer: Because they work too hard during testing!
48. Riddle: Why did the teacher wear sunglasses?
Answer: Because her students were so bright!
49. Riddle: What school subject is always tired?
Answer: History, it has so many dates!
50. Riddle: Why do students get stressed during exams?
Answer: Because they have a lot of tests to pass!
Riddles about School Functions
51. Riddle: What school worker walks around but stays in one spot?
Answer: A hall monitor.
52. Riddle: What school worker clears up messes but never gets their hands dirty?
Answer: A janitor.
53. Riddle: What school worker tells other people what to do?
Answer: A principal.
54. Riddle: What school worker keeps track of your grades and attendance?
Answer: An administrative assistant.
55. Riddle: What school worker knows when you are absent or late?
Answer: An attendance secretary.
56. Riddle: What school worker tells you when class is over?
Answer: A bell.
57. Riddle: What school worker patrols the building after hours?
Answer: A security guard.
58. Riddle: What school worker tells you to quiet down during class?
Answer: A teacher.
59. Riddle: What school worker serves you food at lunchtime?
Answer: A cafeteria worker.
60. Riddle: What school worker makes sure visitors sign in?
Answer: An office secretary.
Riddles about School Supplies
Riddles about School Tools
61. Riddle: What has a head, a tail, is brown, and has no legs?
Answer: A penny.
62. Riddle: What has teeth but cannot bite?
Answer: A comb.
63. Riddle: What kind of room has no windows or doors?
Answer: A mushroom.
64. Riddle: What has a neck but no head?
Answer: A bottle.
65. Riddle: What has a face and two hands but no arms or legs?
Answer: A clock.
66. Riddle: What has a thumb and fingers but is not alive?
Answer: A glove.
67. Riddle: What has a spine but no bones?
Answer: A book.
68. Riddle: What has four fingers and a thumb, but is not alive?
Answer: A glove.
69. Riddle: What kind of room has no doors or windows?
Answer: A mushroom.
70. Riddle: What has hands but can’t clap?
Answer: A clock.
Riddles about School Supplies
71. Riddle: What is full of holes but can still hold water?
Answer: A sponge.
72. Riddle: What has a point but no end?
Answer: A pencil.
73. Riddle: What has a head, a tail, is brown, and has no legs?
Answer: A penny.
74. Riddle: What has words but never speaks?
Answer: A book.
75. Riddle: What belongs to you but is used more by others?
Answer: Your name.
76. Riddle: What comes down but doesn’t move?
Answer: Rain.
77. Riddle: What has four fingers and a thumb but is not alive?
Answer: A glove.
78. Riddle: What has a spine but no bones?
Answer: A book.
79. Riddle: What has a neck but no head?
Answer: A bottle.
80. Riddle: What can you break without touching it?
Answer: A promise.
Riddles about School Rules
Riddles about Rules
81. Riddle: What keeps you cool on hot days but makes you warm on cold days?
Answer: A uniform.
82. Riddle: What allows you to enter but keeps others out?
Answer: A password.
83. Riddle: What tells you to be quiet without making a sound?
Answer: A sign.
84. Riddle: What keeps things tidy but makes a mess when broken?
Answer: Organization.
85. Riddle: What gives access to those who know it but restricts others?
Answer: A passcode.
86. Riddle: What keeps things secure but allows entry with permission?
Answer: A lock.
87. Riddle: What keeps you safe but can make you late?
Answer: Security checks.
88. Riddle: What keeps you together but constrains your freedom?
Answer: Rules.
89. Riddle: What keeps you informed but distracts if abused?
Answer: Electronics.
90. Riddle: What keeps everything on track but causes delay when not working?
Answer: A schedule.
Riddles about Authority
91. Riddle: What gives permission but can also deny access?
Answer: Authority.
92. Riddle: What keeps you safe but can also be unfair?
Answer: Security guards.
93. Riddle: What keeps you informed but also tracks your activities?
Answer: Surveillance cameras.
94. Riddle: What protects your rights but can also limit your actions?
Answer: The law.
95. Riddle: What gives access to some but denies it to others?
Answer: Clearance.
96. Riddle: What keeps you in line but cramps your style?
Answer: Supervision.
97. Riddle: What corrects bad behavior but can sometimes overstep?
Answer: Discipline.
98. Riddle: What keeps the powerful in check but is not all-powerful?
Answer: Oversight.
99. Riddle: What keeps you accountable but feels restrictive?
Answer: Strict policies.
100. Riddle: What maintains order but allows exceptions?
Answer: The administration.
Riddles about School Life
Riddles about School Activities
101. Riddle: What makes you think fast but could cause a crash?
Answer: A pop quiz.
102. Riddle: What makes you sweat though seated in a chair?
Answer: Taking a difficult test.
103. Riddle: What makes your voice hoarse though you utter no sound?
Answer: Cheering at a game.
104. Riddle: What shows your skills without hands for applause?
Answer: Participating in a science fair.
105. Riddle: What makes you fit without breaking a sweat?
Answer: Walking up staircases between classes.
106. Riddle: What improves your mood without drugs or drink?
Answer: Laughing with friends.
107. Riddle: What eases stress without requiring rest?
Answer: Talking with a trusted teacher.
Conclusion
We hope you enjoyed this collection of 107 riddles about school subjects, terms, supplies, rules, and student life. Riddles are a fun way to challenge your intellect and think about the familiar school environment in new ways. Keep riddling yourself and your friends. The answers may seem obvious once revealed, but the path to solving each riddle builds mental flexibility.
