The high school bathrooms ranked best to worst

When it comes to school bathrooms, not all are created equal, for there are always some that fall below the rest, for various reasons. Whether is be due to a faulty sink or a broken door hinge, there is always something that forces a restroom away from perfection. However, there is a select group of rooms that have risen to the top and amassed a fantastic reputation as some of the best bathrooms in the high school.

Today BluePrints does the dirty work and provides the definitive list of which bathrooms are considered “go-to” by our peers.

Boys’ Bathrooms

1. Band Room

If you are looking for a quiet and peaceful time in the restroom, look no further than the bathrooms by the band rooms. Due to their secluded location, far from high traffic areas such as the hallways by the science, math, and history rooms, the band room’s bathrooms are usually empty. These conditions make for an ideal bathroom experience, often accompanied by the most recent melody being prepared by the band or orchestra. “The band bathroom is a relaxing experience, a great place to relive yourself and overall the most adequate bathroom in the school,” senior Tyler Johnson summed up. Perhaps the only downside to this bathroom is the lack of urinals, for the standard of three is not met by this otherwise perfect restroom.

2. Study Hall

Due to its relative cleanliness, surplus of urinals and stalls, plus its exclusivity to those in a break period, the bathroom by the study hall is a close second to the band rooms title. “Its chill until people go in there to look at themselves, then its just awkward,” senior Shane Whitehead said in regards to his experiences in this particular lavatory, supporting the claim that one of its greatest assets is also one of its greatest downfalls. It is very nice for those in study hall to have a bathroom in such close proximity, but this only makes it more difficult to find time to yourself in the bathroom.

3. The Commons

One of the most forgotten about bathrooms, the commons’ restrooms serve as the fence between the high quality and the sub-par when it comes to high school bathrooms. An upside to them is that they are often uninhabited, due to people’s tendency to not use the bathroom during lunch, but there are still many faults. “Although this bathroom was the first to have stalls, it is inferior in the way that the stall doors do not stay closed,” senior Ben Penn points out. While it may be nice for the time that you are left alone, the moment you are given company the experience gets a whole lot worse.

4. History Rooms

Heading upstairs, the lavatories by the history rooms is where we start to see the quality in restrooms take a severe decline. Serving as the only bathroom on the top floor of the high school, this forces all students from all classes on that floor to be funneled into this one bathroom, which only has three urinals (standard) and only one stall. While the facilities are adequately clean, the probability that you will see one of your peers in there is almost definite. In addition to the heavy traffic that passes through each day, there is a lingering odor of something that does not belong in a bathroom. “They’re not great and they smell weird,” notes senior David Braden. It is expected for all bathrooms to smell bad, but this smell is simply different and makes anyone that enters immediately uncomfortable.

5. Library

Taking an even greater drop in quality, we come to undeniably the worst boys bathroom in the entire high school: the restrooms by the library. Similar to the bathrooms by the history rooms, but to a lesser degree, these lavatories see a lot of people come in and out during the course of the school day. This could be forgiven it weren’t for the unacceptable quality of the facilities. Junior Tommy Musick hit the nail on the head when he said that “the corners are always sticky,” but that’s not all, for the urinal closest to the sinks has a broken flushing mechanism, providing the means for a “full bowl” to form by the end of the day. The boys of the high school may not agree on all matters, there is one topic that all can support: that the library bathrooms are the worst in the whole high school.

Girls’ Bathrooms

(additional reporting by Penny Hunter)

1. Library

The bathroom next to the library is the favorite among the high school’s girls. This restroom is the perfect size being neither overly spacious, like the study hall bathroom, or too cramped, like the band room bathroom. With perfectly functioning sinks and toilets, plus a “fun, airy vibe to it,” as described by freshman Ella Johnson, this bathroom completely deserves the highest ranking. The only problem with this bathroom is the second stall’s defective latch which can lead to embarrassing moments for the user.

2. The Commons

Despite being shared with the middle schoolers, this bathroom is still a favorite for the high schoolers. Not only are there many stalls to choose from, but the toilets can be flushed with less water, making them less wasteful as normal toilets. The bathroom’s four sinks, two paper towel dispensers, and high-tech toilets secure its second place ranking. Its positioning within the school creates a usually empty space unless it is in use (3rd-6th period). “One of the stalls gets stuck and is difficult to open and close. It is still a pretty clean bathroom however,” senior Clara Smith points out. Other than a stall door not opening and closing properly, there is very little to complain about.

3. Study Hall

In between the study hall room and the stairs to the commons lies the largest restroom in the high school, confirmed by senior Reilly Zink when she notes that “the study hall bathrooms definitely have the most space.” The word “restroom” should be taken literally as the ledge near the door provides an excellent area to rest a bag or even sit on. While the spaciousness of this 7-stall bathroom creates a friendly and social environment to enjoy, there are a few drawbacks. Getting to class on time can be stressful when you select a stall with a toilet that is difficult to flush. The sinks are frequently splashed with paint or unfamiliar stains. This bathroom’s handy ledges and multitude of stalls are worth using despite the flawed utilities.

4. Band Rooms

At first glance this dimly lit bathroom near the band room is a little unnerving, for junior Ella Unkefer says that “the band bathroom is terrifying!” However, this restroom is usually a quiet haven to use during the day. It can become crowded during the few minutes before 5th and 6th period and waiting in a line is often necessary. It is common knowledge that the middle stall is faulty and if you find yourself needing to relieve yourself with only the middle stall unoccupied, we recommend you wait. Once all the toilets are in working condition, there will be no complaints about this underrated restroom.

5. History Rooms

When asked about the upstairs bathrooms by the history classes, senior Olivia Garland put it best when she said,”No bueno.” The only bathroom on the upper level of the high school is nearly an exact copy of the library bathroom one floor lower. They both have the same number of stalls, sinks and hand dryers, but the history room bathroom is grossly inferior. With mold growing on the window and a sink that makes strange noises, this bathroom has earned the lowest ranking.