Most people can agree or at least understand why school dances are seen as such an important part of being a high school student. With such a limited number of events one can attend during their short four years of high school, many kids make it their goal to go to these dances no matter what. Even so, recently, the attendance rate of school dances has been going down. According to the latest research done by YouGov, “Most Americans (53%) did not actually attend prom, and among those that did barely half (51%) went with a date. Overall, this means that only 24% of Americans had the stereotypical experience of attending prom with their high school sweetheart.” 

Attendance at school dances is going down for a number of reasons. Sophomore Eli Massman explains, “I did not attend omecoming because I did not know anyone who wanted to go. It just seems boring going to it alone, so I ended up not going.” Many students can agree that attending a dance without a date or friends pretty much defeats the whole purpose of a social gathering. In freshman Aishani Ganguly’s case, she says, “I was planning to go to Homecoming, but I ended up being busy that day so I could not go. If I did not have plans, then I probably would have gone.” Unfortunately, as most school dances are scheduled for only a single day, busy students can miss out on one of the few chances they have to attend events like homecoming and prom. 

Lots of students are also choosing to miss out on Tolo, a Pacific Northwest based Sadie Hawkins dance meaning the girls typically ask out the boys. Junior Jordan Lee says, “I got invited [to Tolo], but I am not really interested in going. Parties are just not really my thing.” Quite a few people also agree with Lee on the fact that school dances are just not very enjoyable, especially less attended dances such as Tolo. Additionally, some students, like senior Trinity Cress, choose to miss only smaller events. Cress says, “I am not attending Tolo, but I will attend prom.” This seems to be a popular trend for students who want to save their money by skipping some dances and going all out for prom. Reporter Anna Stockton explains, “It is becoming a lot easier and cheaper to just get together with a bunch of friends to hang out, instead of paying money to go to a dance that [students] may not enjoy. The price of dance tickets are not horrendous, with the most expensive being prom, where tickets start at $50 if the student goes for the early purchase. However, the cost of tickets is only a small part of the money that is put into that night. The dress, jewelry, shoes, and everything else all adds up to a lot for just one night.” 

Another reason why many students are choosing to opt out of school dances is because there is simply not enough to do. Dances are typically a couple hours and lots of students find that dancing and chatting with friends can only be entertaining for so long. Ganguly suggests, “Something like a photobooth would be nice. I have been to events with them in the past and it is very fun taking and drawing on pictures with friends.” Many students can agree that having an easy and enjoyable way to capture the memories of the night could be a great benefit to school dances. Adding on, Cress suggests, “There could be contests like who has the best outfit with the chance to get prizes if you win. It would definitely make people go all out with their outfits and hopefully bring more variety than just black suits, white dress shirts, and a colored tie.” Additionally, outfit themes, like the heroes vs. villains theme for Tolo, can encourage people to come as a simple semi-formal dress code can get boring after a while. Although, some students, like Ganguly, argue, “Your typical school dance dress code is enjoyable in itself because for most students; you do not have many opportunities to dress formally.” 

The number of kids who attend school dances is most definitely getting lower as years pass, but there are still a great number of students who attend and enjoy these events. Although a slight majority of people believe that events like prom are overrated, YouGov says, “41% of Americans still think prom is important and out of those who did not go, 31% regret missing out on the important experience.” Whether it be to dance, hang out with friends, or a mix of peer pressure, fear of missing out, and attending just to say you did, high school dances are a one of a kind experience for many students.