Movies like State Debate (2013)
The best movies like State Debate (2013) are High School Musical (2006), Work It (2020) and The Cheetah Girls (2003). If State Debate hooked you, these 20 similar films are what to watch next, and every pick says why it matches.
State Debate
Quick picks
- Highest ratedMy Little Pony: Equestria Girls – Rainbow Rocks (2014)8.1/10 from 216 votes
- NewestSidelined 2: Intercepted (2025)Released 2025
High School Musical (2006)
A popular high school athlete and an academically gifted girl get roles in the school musical and develop a friendship that threatens East High's social order.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisWork It (2020)
A brilliant but clumsy high school senior vows to get into her late father's alma mater by transforming herself and a misfit squad into dance champions.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers
Worth the HypeMovies like thisThe Cheetah Girls (2003)
A four-member teen girl group named the Cheetah Girls go to a Manhattan High School for the Performing Arts and try to become the first freshmen to win the talent show in the school's history. During the talent show auditions, they meet a big-time producer named Jackal Johnson, who tries to make the group into superstars, but the girls run into many problems.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers
Popcorn FlickMovies like this1 Chance 2 Dance (2014)
When a 17-year old aspiring dancer is uprooted in her high school senior year, she finds herself divided between two boys, and she will have one last shot at making her dream a reality.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisHigh School Musical 3: Senior Year (2008)
As seniors in high school, Troy and Gabriella struggle with the idea of being separated from one another as college approaches. Along with the rest of the Wildcats, they stage a spring musical to address their experiences, hopes and fears about their future.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisFootloose (2011)
Ren MacCormack is transplanted from Boston to the small southern town of Bomont where loud music and dancing are prohibited. Not one to bow to the status quo, Ren challenges the ban, revitalizing the town and falling in love with the minister’s troubled daughter Ariel in the process.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisHoney 3: Dare to Dance (2016)
While attending college in Cape Town, Melea Martin feels constrained by the school's strict policies, and decides to set out on her own. Searching for a way to use her talents as a dancer and inspire the community around her, Melea rents a failing theater in order to put on a Hip-Hop Romeo and Juliet performance. But much like the Capulets and Montagues, conflicts between cast members threaten to bring the whole performance to a halt...
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisCamp Rock 2: The Final Jam (2010)
Mitchie can't wait to go back to Camp Rock and spend the summer making new music with her friends and superstar Shane Gray. But the slick new camp across the lake, Camp Star, has drummed up some serious competition – featuring newcomers Luke and Dana. In a sensational battle of the bands, with Camp Rock's future at stake, will Camp Star's flashy production and over-the-top antics win out, or will Camp Rockers prove that music, teamwork, and spirit are what truly matter?
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisCandy Jar (2018)
Dueling high school debate champs who are at odds on just about everything forge ahead with ambitious plans to get into the colleges of their dreams.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisGrease (1978)
Australian good girl Sandy and greaser Danny fell in love over the summer. But when they unexpectedly discover they're now in the same high school, will they be able to rekindle their romance despite their eccentric friends?
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers
Worth the HypeMovies like thisGrease Live (2016)
After enjoying a holiday romance, high school students Danny and Sandy are unexpectedly reunited when she transfers to Rydell High, where she must contend with cynical Rizzo and the Pink Ladies.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers
Worth the HypeMovies like thisMy Little Pony: Equestria Girls – Rainbow Rocks (2014)
Music rules and rainbows rock as Twilight Sparkle and pals compete for the top spot in the Canterlot High "Mane Event" talent show. The girls must rock their way to the top, and outshine rival Adagio Dazzle and her band The Dazzlings, to restore harmony back to Canterlot High.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers
Absolute CinemaMovies like thisSidelined 2: Intercepted (2025)
Freshman star quarterback Drayton struggles with the weight of expectations after a devastating setback, while dancer Dallas begins to question the future she thought she wanted. As their high school relationship begins to unravel under the pressures of distance and self-discovery, they’ll learn that the bravest versions of themselves emerge when they let life redirect them.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers
Worth the HypeMovies like thisThe Last Summer (2019)
Standing on the precipice of adulthood, a group of friends navigate new relationships, while reexamining others, during their final summer before college.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisSpontaneous (2020)
When students in their high school begin inexplicably exploding (literally), seniors Mara and Dylan struggle to survive in a world where each moment may be their last.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisThe Last Picture Show (1971)
High school seniors and best friends, Sonny and Duane, live in a dying Texas town. The handsome Duane is dating a local beauty, while Sonny is having an affair with the coach's wife. As graduation nears and both boys contemplate their futures, Duane eyes the army and Sonny takes over a local business. Each struggles to figure out if he can escape this dead-end town and build a better life somewhere else.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers
Worth the HypeMovies like thisDo Revenge (2022)
A dethroned queen bee at a posh private high school strikes a secret deal with an unassuming new student to enact revenge on one another’s enemies.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisMischief (1985)
1956: The shy Jonathan's luck with girls changes when he wins the rebellious Gene as a friend in his last year of high school. Gene is adored by many girls and manages to teach Jonathan a few lessons. Gene himself would rather just be with one girl: his girlfriend Bunny. But since his father is poor, her parents don't accept him.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisMean Girls (2024)
New student Cady Heron is welcomed into the top of the social food chain by the elite group of popular girls called ‘The Plastics,’ ruled by the conniving queen bee Regina George and her minions Gretchen and Karen. However, when Cady makes the major misstep of falling for Regina’s ex-boyfriend Aaron Samuels, she finds herself prey in Regina’s crosshairs. As Cady sets to take down the group’s apex predator with the help of her outcast friends Janis and Damian, she must learn how to stay true to herself while navigating the most cutthroat jungle of all: high school.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers
SnoozefestMovies like thisChemical Hearts (2020)
When a hopelessly romantic high school senior falls for a mysterious new classmate, it sets them both on an unexpected journey that teaches them about love, loss, and most importantly themselves.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers
Worth the HypeMovies like this
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Frequently asked questions
What are the best movies like State Debate?
The closest matches to State Debate are High School Musical (2006), Work It (2020) and The Cheetah Girls (2003). Below are 17 more, each with the reason it matches.
What should I watch after State Debate?
Start with High School Musical (2006), the closest match to State Debate.
What is the highest-rated movie like State Debate?
My Little Pony: Equestria Girls – Rainbow Rocks (2014), rated 8.1/10 by 216 TMDB users.
What is the newest movie like State Debate?
Sidelined 2: Intercepted (2025) is the most recent release on this list.
Are there English movies like State Debate?
Yes: High School Musical (2006), Work It (2020) and The Cheetah Girls (2003).
How are movies similar to State Debate chosen?
First come films that Trakt’s viewers watch alongside State Debate, then TMDB’s recommendations and films it rates as similar in story and genre. Each pick says which signal put it there.