Social Media
Smiling friends talking selfie before heading back to school and posting on Instagram with throwback...

35 Throwback Captions For Back-To-School Pics, When You're Feeling Nostalgic

Avoiding the future by remembering the past.

Updated: 
Originally Published: 

With back-to-school season right around the corner, this time of year always makes you want to take a stroll down memory lane. There’s just something in the fall air that makes you feel nostalgic AF. One way to embrace that throwback feeling is to listen to your fave childhood songs and look back on your grade school days. Some of the pictures you may come across could even make the perfect #TBT posts on Instagram, which means you need some throwback captions for back-to-school pics.

Your family may have had a tradition of taking pictures of you on your first day to show how much you've grown. It was a chance for you to model your new style, and now, those pictures are perfect for sharing on the ‘Gram. You may also have some snaps of you reuniting with your besties after not seeing each other all summer long or standing near your newly decorated locker. Whatever memory you’re thinking of sharing, you need the right throwback captions to make your post even better.

Coming up with your own throwback caption can feel like unnecessary homework, and who has time for that? What you need are some fresh throwback quotes to pair with your memory-filled snaps, so consider this list your Instagram cheatsheet.

PhotoAlto/Frederic Cirou/Getty Images
  1. "Little moments, big memories."
  2. "I wish I could turn back time to have this outfit again."
  3. "There's nothing better than snapping a quality #OOTD pic on the first day of school."
  4. "How could I have forgotten this?"
  5. "Remembering those school days."
  6. "I miss school, minus the whole school part."
  7. "We were there for a good time, not a long time."
  8. "Quality TBT right here."
  9. "Let's do it again... just kidding."
  10. "Remember when we were kids and we wanted to grow up? What were we thinking?"
  11. "Never forget the power of a fire outfit on the first day of school."
  12. "Who else had a Lisa Frank binder?"
  13. "You want to Venmo me lunch money?"
  14. "Life was easier when Mom made me lunch."
  15. "Does anyone wanna trade me their Gushers for this #TBT?"
  16. "Let's bring back first day outfits and Dunkaroos, please."
  17. "I'll take a one-way ticket back to the '90s."
  18. "If we listen to each other's hearts, we'll find we're never too far apart." — Powerline, "Eye to Eye"
  19. "Just waiting for that *NSYNC reunion."
  20. "I deserve a whole sheet of gold stars for this throwback."
  21. "My back-to-school motto was always 'work hard, nap harder.'"
  22. "Why fit in when you were born to stand out?" — Dr. Seuss
  23. "I still can't believe this happened!"
  24. "So glad I got this picture, or else did school even happen?"
  25. "Avoiding the future a bit by remembering the past."
  26. "Isn’t it funny how day by day nothing changes, but when you look back, everything is different." — C.S. Lewis
  27. "Cute school supplies almost make going back to school worth it."
  28. "You never get a second chance to make a great first impression, and I nailed it every time."
  29. “Just a reminder that I’ve always been a fashionista.”
  30. “Finally this outfit is back in fashion.”
  31. “If I could tell my younger self anything, it would be to keep this outfit.”
  32. “But I know I had the best day with you today.” — Taylor Swift, “The Best Day”
  33. “Life moves pretty fast. If you don’t stop and look around every once in a while, you could miss it.” — Ferris Bueller’s Day Off
  34. “I'm falling into memories of you.” — Yellowcard, “One Year, Six Months”
  35. “I’m homesick for this moment.”

This article was originally published on