LEGO School Sets

The schools have already started abroad, and very soon they will start here in Turkey, too. Using it as an excuse, I decided to take a look at LEGO school sets. Since I don’t follow City sets very closely, I decided to ask my main resource, Brickset.

I have to admit I was a bit disappointed. A few preschool sets, made years ago, a few Fabuland sets… then comes the Hogwarts sets. And they go on and on and on and… So that’s it? We don’t have anything else outside of Hogwarts?

Don’t get me wrong, I like the books, the movies and the sets. The minifigure scaled parts of Hogwarts are among my favorites. The characters, the animals, different parts… it’s a theme I really like. What bothers me is the lack of LEGO school sets outside Hogwarts.

Okay then, let’s dive in to the school sets the LEGO Group released.

LEGO School Sets

Before moving on to the licensed ones (there are a few other than Harry Potter), let’s start with the ones suitable for any city. The first listing when you search for the keyword “school” in Brickset belongs to the Friends theme – and this doesn’t surprise me anymore. If you take it one step further and list the school sets only under the theme, you get 9 of them (well, 11 actually, but the other two aren’t schools).

Riding School

A riding school set was released when the theme came into being in 2012. Summer Riding Camp (3185) is not designed as a regular school, but rather a summer activity course. The model includes a classroom, a kitchen, a restroom, and two bedrooms for the students to stay. There’s also a symbolic stable, a fenced riding area, a chance to spend summer nights around the campfire, and of course, the entrance to the school. We have a small bus to carry students and supplies, too.

If you don’t like mini-dolls, leave them out. Even though the horses coming with the set are different than what we’re used to, minifigures can still ride them easily. You can have a very nice riding school with a few additions. And since it has a modular design, you can arrange the rooms as you wish.

High School

In 2013, we get Heartlake High (41005), the school Friends characters attend. It’s smaller than the riding school. Apart from the arts and science classrooms, there’s a small deli and of course, a restroom. There’s a bench for the students to sit outside, as well as a basketball hoop to use in P.E. or in their free time. Lockers are included, too.

The modular design of the building lets you arrange the rooms. Most of the Friends sets I know are designed in a doll-house manner, meaning the back of the buildings are always open (for more playability, I think). Just like the riding school, the backside needs to be closed if you want to integrate it into your city.

Art School

Our first art school is all about performing arts. Being in between the riding school and the high school size-wise, Heartlake Performance School (41134) is perfect for minifigures who like dancing, singing, playing the piano or the drums, and filming. Apart from classes for theoretical courses, there’s a big area that can be used for both a music and a dance studio. A canteen and a restroom is included for basic needs, along with a bench and basketball hoop outside. There’s also a school bus, one of those iconic yellow ones.

Just like the previous two, the art school has a modular design as well. You can re-arrange the rooms to turn the three-story school into a two or a one-story building. I also found a picture of it next to Heartlake High. They look nice next to each other, don’t you think?

Another school…

Heartlake City School (41682) seems like the renovated version of Heartlake High. Well, it’s been 8 years, so it’s kind of expected.

Released in 2021, this one also has science and arts classrooms, but this time the music classroom is separated. The deli is bigger, the bench outside more detailed. Of course we have a basketball hoop, too. Apparently the Friends characters really like playing basketball.

Unlike the previous three, the design of this school isn’t modular. I think that’s a minus, because even though I don’t have any of the sets, the idea of designing the interior spaces as I wanted was appealing. However, when I look at the exterior design, it’s much better than the first one.

And another art school…

Emma’s Art School (41711) is from 2022 and it’s the biggest of the five sets. The review on Brickset says Emma goes to Paris, so the exterior design is based on classical French architecture. On top of that, the set includes a sketch of a bridge on the Seine. I think it reflects the real version perfectly, don’t you?

Although the building’s design isn’t modular, the overall appearance looks like the buildings from the Modular theme, the only difference being the open backside. The three-story school teaches ceramics, fashion design, art, photography, and digital 3D designing and printing. A small canteen, a small locker space… and a tree for our basic needs :) Yep, the art school in Paris is the first school without a restroom.

When I was studying architecture, there was something I kept hearing from my tutors, a big no-no: Never imply the building’s function on the facade. So if you’re designing an art school, the pen “statues” in the entrance would get critisized with the speed of light, and get removed even faster. It never made sense to me then, and it doesn’t make sense now. These details make the building more attractive to the eye, add a certain charm, and please the viewer. I’m not saying use it everywhere in the city, but I think it looks good from time to time. Who knows, maybe kids playing with models like this will have a different take on building designs.

Space School

Are we ready to take flight? Olivia’s Space Academy (41713) lets us start preparing for space travel. If I remember correctly, the original Friends girls, Andrea, Emma, Mia, Olivia and Stephanie, had a hobby each, which they concentrated on more as they grew up. Space is one of Olivia’s, hence the name.

The academy includes a fantastic rocket, a small model showing the solar system, a research center, a control center and a telescope. My favorite part of the set is the virtual reality simulator the astronauts (or the astronauts-to-be) use. Since the set was released in 2022, the details have taken flight as well. It’s possible to see them both on the sticker sheet and in the small models of the set.

Did you know, in space no one can hear you pee… (yeah, this school doesn’t have a restroom either)

Theater School

Among the five girls, Andrea is the one who takes an interest in performing arts. We can see how successful she becomes clearly in Andrea’s Modern Mansion (42639), released in 2024. This set is released under her name, as Andrea’s Theater School (41714).

There are really no words to describe it, it’s just too beautiful. The front facade of the building opens up to show the stage area. There is a dressing and a prop room, different backdrops, and even balcony seats. Apart from these, the set is filled with so many details.

And after skipping two sets, our restroom makes a comeback :)

An international school

Heartlake International School (41731) is the second biggest LEGO school set, the first being the theater. It was released in 2023, meaning after the theme was renewed, the girls grew up, and new characters appeared. It has a more colorful design, more modern. Like Heartlake High and Heartlake City School, it has arts and science classrooms, but also an audio-visual classroom. The need-to-haves are there, too; lockers, canteen, sitting areas, basketball hoop and restrooms. There’s also a space near the lockers for announcements.

The two-story building is the only school that has a staircase (my apologies if I missed the ones existing in the previous schools). The modular system comes back with it, too, and you can arrange it to your heart’s content.

Pre-school

The adults and children arrived a bit late to the theme; the girls and their friends were in the spotlight for a long time. If I’m not mistaken, the first old figure was released in 2023. However, as the number of younger siblings increased, so did the need for their education. That’s how Heartlake City Preschool (42636) came into being. When you take a look at the set without reading the name, you think “This is definitely for younger kids”. Of course by younger I don’t mean the 4+, 8+ writings on the box. It’s a playful set, full of joy and toys. Along with a tree house, a slide and a seesaw, there are areas for the children to paint, learn about the cycle of life and grow plants. We eat on the bench in the garden when we’re hungry, but unfortunately the increased bathroom need of children have been forgotten. It has to be a nightmare for a preschool not having a restroom.

Remember I mentioned Friends buildings being modeled like a doll-house? This set is strange in that aspect. Yes, one side is open, but it seems to be the front side for a change. No matter where I looked, I couldn’t find an image showing the back.

That’s it for our LEGO Friends school sets. Honestly if I were to build a school with just the official sets, I wouldn’t need anything else. There are so many options, so many details. Since some of them are modular, you can mix & match, too! I sincerely applaud the designers, they did a great job with these.

Other LEGO School Sets

We have three more school-themed sets that aren’t even fit to hold a candle to LEGO Friends. The first one is the Super Hero High School (41232) released under the DC Super Hero Girls theme in 2017. After reading the Brickset review, I felt this set looks more like a base than a school. The overall building has an interesting design, I’ll give you that, but a sewing room and a botanical classroom doesn’t turn a building into a school. Sorry-not-sorry.

Our second school is the Newbury Haunted High School (70425) from the discontinued Hidden Side theme. It doesn’t look half bad. There’s a library, a canteen and a restroom on the ground floor, a symbolic science classroom, a research room and a display space for students’ medals on the top floor. Hidden Side is all about catching ghosts, nevertheless the school design looks okay. It could’ve been better, but that’s not the main focus of the theme.

Lastly we have School Day (60329) released in 2022. A nice looking bus, one of those iconic yellow ones again. Joyful kids, probably going to elementary school, judging by their heights and the lady helping them cross the street. There are two classrooms, science and arts. A sitting space outside, accompanied by a hopscotch game and a climbing wall. I mean, it doesn’t look bad, but there’s something about it. Until I read the review on Rebrickable, I wasn’t able to put my finger on it. The author says “The design feels like a first-sketch prototype that should go into a refining stage, but was instead rushed into production.” That’s exactly it. The school that was released 9 years ago, Heartlake High, which is closer to this one in number of pieces, doesn’t give that feeling.

Before I forget, this school doesn’t have a restroom, either.

Thoughts

It seems like the System sets are in dire need of a proper school. Maybe the designers should re-design the overall City theme like they did with Friends, and release sets according to that. If the idea of inclusivity is to spread – which seems to be the case even with just this year’s City sets – a different approach should be taken. When I saw the Downtown (60380) and Apartment Building (60365) sets last year, I said “Finally! City is trying to catch up with Friends!” I looked at the sets released this year considering that, and they turned out to be a big disappointment.

Apparently vehicles sell well, so does fire and police stations. But I think the city shouldn’t be just about that. With City sets where minifigures are mostly aged between 20-40, there can be at least a university, if not a high school or an elementary school. I mean, if I were to create a city from scratch today, I wouldn’t even look at City sets, except for a few. Friends sets are more fun, more enjoyable and more inclusive (and this is coming from someone who warmed up to the theme very recently).

Of course you can always say that’s the LEGO Group’s aim, mix both themes and create a city like that. Maybe. Still, I think the buildings in unlicensed and more affordable sets should go into review.

That’s it from me. See you in the next article!

 

Set images are taken from Brickset, except the one showing Heartlake High and Performance School, that’s from Heartlake City Times. Images from Paris are from iStockPhoto and Melange Travel. The cover image is mine.