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 - 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.
#3 - 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.
#4 - 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.
#5 - 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.
#6 - 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.
#7 - 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.
#8 - 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.
#9 - 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.
#10 - 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.
#11 - 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.
#12 - 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.
#13 - 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.
#14 - 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.
#15 - 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.
#16 - 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.
#17 - Gregory's Garden Goofballs
Season 3 - Episode 3 - Aired 2/14/2024
Gregory is hesitant when kids start hanging out in his classroom at lunch, looking to him for advice as the “cool teacher.” Barbara is shocked to find Tariq is dating the mother of one of her students. Janine and Jacob try to hire an ASL interpreter.
#18 - 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.
#19 - Student Transfer
Season 1 - Episode 5 - Aired 1/25/2022
After a negative teacher review, Janine gets a confidence boost when a student gets transferred from Melissa’s class into hers, but it turns out the student proves to be too much to handle. While trying to forge a friendship with an uninterested Gregory, it is revealed that Jacob is constantly getting roasted by his students. The two bond after Gregory unintentionally gives Jacob the idea to incorporate the roasts in an educational way.
#20 - Sick Day
Season 2 - Episode 9 - Aired 11/30/2022
Janine is out sick for the day; but with the substitute teacher shortage, Ava grows desperate and must step in herself to help out. She starts the day in an unconventional fashion, disrupting the students’ typical routine as well as neighboring classrooms. Meanwhile, Barbara and Melissa revel in the quieter-than-normal teacher’s lounge.
#21 - Read-a-Thon
Season 2 - Episode 11 - Aired 1/4/2023
The competition heats up between Melissa and Janine as their classrooms go head-to-head in a read-a-thon sponsored by a local pizza shop. Both teachers encourage their students to hit the books hard but face some unexpected obstacles on their path to pizza glory. Meanwhile, Jacob and Gregory join forces and attempt to get their student-podcasting club off the ground.
#22 - 2 Ava 2 Fest
Season 3 - Episode 10 - Aired 4/17/2024
Ava Fest is back, and with the help of the teachers, Ava’s set on outdoing last year by any means necessary. After Janine accepts the offer for a full-time position at the district, she just has to check off one last thing to make it official.
#23 - The Principal's Office
Season 2 - Episode 4 - Aired 10/12/2022
After Gregory sends a disruptive student to the principal’s office, he’s dismayed to find out the kids actually enjoy spending the supposed disciplinary time with Ava. Meanwhile, Melissa invites Janine over to her house to teach her how to cook, but Janine becomes determined to reunite Melissa with her estranged sister.
#24 - Fundraiser
Season 2 - Episode 13 - Aired 1/18/2023
Barbara organizes a candy-selling fundraiser to raise money for a school field trip to the science museum. When sales don’t go as planned, Ava steps in to teach the students new, unconventional selling tactics. Elsewhere, Mr. Johnson and Jacob butt heads about how to take care of a cat found in the janitor’s closet.
#25 - Panel
Season 3 - Episode 8 - Aired 3/20/2024
Ava and Gregory are invited to speak on a panel about public schools, while the other teachers must complete CPR training. Janine faces challenges securing district approval for her librarian extension program.