The WORST episodes of Abbott Elementary
Every episode of Abbott Elementary ever, ranked from worst to best by thousands of votes from fans of the show. The worst episodes of Abbott Elementary!
A group of dedicated, passionate teachers and a slightly tone-deaf principal are brought together in a Philadelphia public school where, despite the odds stacked against them, they are determined to help their students succeed in life. Though these incredible public servants may be outnumbered and underfunded, they love what they do, even if they don’t love the school district’s less-than-stellar attitude toward educating children.
#1 - Career Day (2)
Season 3 - Episode 2 - Aired 2/7/2024
Career Day continues at Abbott; Ava's new outlook on being principal sends the teachers into a downward spiral.
#2 - Science Fair
Season 4 - Episode 13 - Aired 2/5/2025
While supervising the kids making their science fair projects, the teachers’ competitive sides come out.
#3 - Pilot
Season 1 - Episode 1 - Aired 12/7/2021
A group of dedicated, passionate teachers — and a slightly tone-deaf principal — are brought together in a Philadelphia public school where, despite the odds stacked against them, they are determined to help their students succeed in life. Though these incredible educators may be outnumbered and underfunded, they love what they do — even if they don’t love the school district’s less-than-stellar attitude toward educating children.
#4 - Testing
Season 4 - Episode 10 - Aired 1/15/2025
Janine must rethink her lesson plans after her class performs poorly on a practice test, while Jacob struggles to engage a disinterested student. The district sends a new custodian to train under Mr. Johnson.
#5 - Double Date
Season 3 - Episode 11 - Aired 5/1/2024
Two teachers head out on a double date, but when they run into familiar bar patrons, it proves to be an unfortunate distraction. At Ava’s first book club meeting, the group ends up in a debate over who would be the best post-apocalyptic leader.
#6 - Light Bulb
Season 1 - Episode 2 - Aired 1/4/2022
Going against everyone’s advice, Janine takes it upon herself to fix every problem when she notices a flicking light bulb in the hallway. Despite the best intentions, Janine ends up causing new issues throughout the school. Elsewhere, Gregory asks Barbara for help talking to a parent, which leads him to spend his lunch period in an unexpected way.
#7 - Alex
Season 3 - Episode 9 - Aired 4/10/2024
Jacob is shocked when he finds out his colleagues are not invested in his frequent email messages and haven’t even been writing their own replies. Meanwhile, Gregory turns to Janine for help with a former student.
#8 - Strike
Season 4 - Episode 11 - Aired 1/22/2025
City buses have stopped running due to a strike, resulting in many students being absent from school. The teachers at Abbott try to find creative solutions and adapt to hybrid learning. Meanwhile, Gregory and O'Shon strike up a friendship.
#9 - Juice
Season 2 - Episode 5 - Aired 10/19/2022
Janine is thrilled to help introduce a new beverage to the cafeteria, but it ends up causing unexpected consequences for the students, teachers and school plumbing system. Elsewhere, Melissa clashes with her new aide, Ashley, who brings more disruption than help to the classroom.
#10 - New Tech
Season 1 - Episode 4 - Aired 1/18/2022
When a new computer program is introduced at Abbott, Janine is excited to finally help Barbara out with something. However, Barbara is reluctant to accept change and finds herself in a tricky situation when she decides to lie about her students’ results rather than admit defeat. Elsewhere, Melissa surprises Jacob when she offers up a friend to assist with his lesson on unions, but she ends up teaching Jacob an important lesson herself.
#11 - Mural Arts
Season 2 - Episode 17 - Aired 3/1/2023
Jacob secures a visit from a mural arts program for his students but doesn’t agree with their chosen design and attempts to influence their decision. Barbara and Melissa learn parents are petitioning to turn Abbott into a Legendary charter school.
#12 - Story Samurai
Season 2 - Episode 3 - Aired 10/5/2022
A traveling storytelling troupe Jacob used to be in visits Abbott Elementary for a day of education and entertainment. Jacob can’t wait to share this part of his past with his colleagues, but when he realizes they think the performers are corny, Janine does her best to help him embrace his nerdy side. Meanwhile, Melissa struggles with the new normal of her combined second and third grade class.
#13 - Art Teacher
Season 1 - Episode 7 - Aired 2/8/2022
When the school’s art teacher retires, Janine is thrilled when the replacement ends up being her best friend from college, but things quickly turn sour when Sahar gets in the way of Melissa’s class traditions. Meanwhile, Jacob and Barbara bond over their love for gardening and decide to start a school garden, but when it turns out they don’t know how to successfully grow anything, Gregory secretly gets involved to fix all of their mistakes.
#14 - Breakup
Season 3 - Episode 5 - Aired 2/28/2024
When Barbara's church choir uses the gym for rehearsals, Ava notices tension in the group. Jacob's eagerness for a full social calendar worries Gregory. Melissa and Janine investigate a new substitute.
#15 - Mother's Day
Season 3 - Episode 12 - Aired 5/8/2024
Barbara invites Gregory to her family’s Mother’s Day brunch. Jacob scrambles to figure out how to organize a school field trip.
#16 - Books
Season 4 - Episode 16 - Aired 3/5/2025
A debate over a controversial book leads Ava to remove it from the library, but some parents push for its return.
#17 - Fight
Season 2 - Episode 12 - Aired 1/11/2023
During a day of touchdowns and missed plays, the Abbott Elementary faculty find themselves learning lessons in teamwork. Two of Janine’s students aren’t getting along in class, leading her to seek advice from her colleagues on how to help repair their friendship. Meanwhile, Melissa and Ava plot to bring down Mr. Johnson in fantasy football.
#18 - Willard R. Abbott
Season 3 - Episode 6 - Aired 3/10/2024
Abbott Elementary is deemed a Philadelphia historical landmark, much to Ava and Janine’s delight; however, Barbara and Melissa are not as impressed. The school plans a celebration in honor of its namesake, but not everything goes as planned.
#19 - Wishlist
Season 1 - Episode 3 - Aired 1/11/2022
It’s Wishlist Week at Abbott: a chance for teachers to ask the local community for new school supplies. Janine takes to TikTok and with Ava’s assistance, her video is a success and goes viral. Feeling confident, Janine and Ava make a video for Barbara behind her back after she declines their help. Later, Janine encourages Gregory to decorate his classroom.
#20 - The Deli
Season 4 - Episode 6 - Aired 11/13/2024
When the neighborhood deli is forced to close to make room for a trendy smoothie place, Melissa, Barbara and Jacob team up to fight the gentrification. Meanwhile, the district asks Ava to give a presentation to fellow principals.
#21 - Attack Ad
Season 2 - Episode 7 - Aired 11/2/2022
The teachers are appalled after seeing a commercial in support of charter schools criticizing Abbott Elementary. When students begin to transfer schools, Jacob, Ava and Melissa invite the leader of the charter school organization to Abbott and ask him to take down the ad. Elsewhere, Janine and Gregory talk about Janine’s relationship with Tariq.
#22 - Costume Contest
Season 4 - Episode 4 - Aired 10/30/2024
It's Halloween at Abbott Elementary and Janine and Gregory proudly show off their couple's costume, but it fails to translate; Barbara faces pushback from parents concerned about hygiene and her beloved apple-bobbing tradition.
#23 - Fire
Season 2 - Episode 15 - Aired 2/15/2023
Barbara’s candle accidentally starts a small fire in the teacher’s lounge and a counselor suggests that she might not be handling the aftermath well. Meanwhile, Melissa rekindles her childhood dream of being a firefighter.
#24 - Egg Drop
Season 2 - Episode 8 - Aired 11/16/2022
When the eighth grade science class participates in an egg drop activity, Janine insists her second grade class join in; Barbara is shocked at the clothing one of her student's parents wears.
#25 - Gifted Program
Season 1 - Episode 6 - Aired 2/1/2022
Janine convinces Ava to start a gifted program at Abbott led by Jacob. However, when some students begin to feel left out, Gregory and Janine put their heads together and come up with a solution. Elsewhere, Barbara pushes a hesitant Melissa to start dating again.