16 High School Graduation Gift Ideas 2025 Grads Will Find More Useful Than a Card Full of Cash

Best Overall

CVS Photo Travel Tumbler

When you’re out of gift ideas, consider this personalized tumbler. You can place a family photo or their special memory on the cup so they can take it with them when it’s time to head to school this fall. The cup is crafted from stainless steel with a white enamel finish and includes a spill-proof screw-on cap with a tab. For safety, it fits most cup holders, so they can focus while they drive!

Best Tech Gift

Apple iPad (10th Generation)

New graduates will appreciate this iPad as a gift before heading to college in the fall. It features stubbing graphics, performance, and storage capabilities to store books, movies, homework, and more, all in one spot. Plus, it’s incredibly lightweight, making it a breeze to travel with. You can also wrap up an Apple Pencil, which makes it helpful for taking notes, drawing, or solving equations.

Best Popcorn Popper Gift

Presto Pop Lite Hot Air Popcorn Popper

Snag the Presto Pop Lite Hot Air Popcorn Popper, which provides a fun snack time when they’re hanging out with friends or hosting a movie night in their dorm in the fall. This one whips up tasty popcorn with hot air instead of using oil, making it safe for them to use. The machine pops up to 18 cups in less than 2 1/2 minutes and leaves virtually no unpopped kernels.

Best Travel Gift

Away The Carry-On

After high school, teens want to travel, so this top-rated carry-on is right on time. Away’s luggage is durable yet incredibly lightweight, so it’s a breeze to stroll through the airport. It has a carry-on design but features tons of room to pack all their essentials for their next adventure. It also includes an underside grab handle, laundry bag, and 360° wheels.

Best Camera Gift

Heyday 35mm Camera with Film

Parents say that this camera is “nostalgia galore,” and they rave about how much their grads love this gift. It’s a 35mm film camera with fixed focus and built-in flash to seamlessly capture every memory. The camera is also designed with a viewfinder and a flash switch on the front for easy viewing.

Best Throw Blanket Gift

Anthropologie Kenia Cotton Knit Throw Blanket

On chilly nights, an extra-large throw blanket will keep anyone warm. But for a grad gift, you want to go for something a little nicer than the $10 fleece throw from the bargain store. This stylish throw from Anthropologie will complement any trendy dorm room.

Most Useful Gift

Amazon Prime

One gift that will keep on giving: an Amazon Prime membership. Members get free shipping, two-day delivery on Prime items, access to Prime Video, and a very easy way for you to ensure the grad always has toilet paper stocked. Choose from a monthly $14.99 membership, or a yearly membership for $139. Call this one a win for both parties.

Best Planner Gift

Poketo Spectrum Planner

Once your high schooler leaves the nest, they’ll have to keep track of appointments, homework due dates, and other to-do tasks on their own. A colorful, undated planner, like this one from Poketo, can help staying organized feel fun.

Best Coffee Maker Gift

Keurig K-Express Coffee Maker

After pulling all-nighters, coffee is a must for college students. Opt for this Keurig K-Express single-serve coffee maker, which is decently priced, small enough to fit in a dorm room or starter apartment, and will help your grad save money on java.

Best Sentimental Gift

Custom Moving Away Two State Map

If your high school grad is moving to another state for the first time, gift them something sentimental — like this two state map, which can also be customized with names and a quote. It’s not too cheesy, and it’s much nicer decor than a giant Goodfellas poster (thought let’s be honest, they’ll probably hang next to one another on the dorm room wall).

Best Dorm Room Gift

A Hatch Sunrise Alarm Clock

One of the hardest jobs as a parent is getting your kids to school on time. Well, post-graduation, a lot of them won’t have mom and dad around as a back-up alarm clock anymore. That’s where a Hatch Sunrise Alarm Clock comes in handy. Not only does it have a sound machine to help blur out the noise of the dorm or apartment building, but it also has a smart light that turns on at wake-up time, working with the alarm tone to ensure a happy wake up for your graduate so they don’t miss class or work.

Best Artistic Gift

Popsockets MagSafe Round

Showcase their creations and artwork by snagging this custom MagSafe Round. You start by choosing a background, and you can also add text or stickers, whatever you need to make it theirs! The grip makes it a breeze to hold smartphones, tablets, and other devices, which cuts down on shattered screens and tearful phone calls to mom and dad.

Modoker Laptop Backpack With Charger

Most students spend hours on campus — lugging around books, notebooks, their laptop. On those days when they just can’t get back to their dorm or apartment and they desperately need a charge, they’ll thank you later when they realize they have a USB charging port built into their backpack.

A Dinnerware Set

For grads moving into an apartment where they’ll have an actual kitchen at their disposal, they’ll need a dinnerware set. This 12-piece Threshold dinnerware set includes four bowls, four salad plates, and four dinner plates, all of which are microwave and dishwasher safe. It also comes in four colors: navy, ivory, gray, and blue.

Festival Tickets

Sure, you could get something practical for your new graduate. But what about something that will create a lifelong memory, like tickets to a music festival for them and a friend? This is a splurge gift, but if your graduate is obsessed with music, then tickets to a summer music festival, whether it’s Lollapalooza in Chicago, Bonnaroo in Tennessee, or Outside Lands in San Francisco, is a graduation present they’ll never forget.

Bulk Paradise Candle Warmer Plate

Most dorms don’t allow lit candles, for fire safety reasons. Instead, gift your candle-loving graduate a warmer plate that releases the scent of the candle, no flame needed. Pair it with a Homesick candle, and you’ve got a practical and sentimental graduation gift.