Episode guide
Essential Abbott Elementary Episodes
ABC, 2021 to present
Our 6 character guides for Abbott Elementary point to 26 key episodes across 5 seasons. Of those, 7 turn up in two or more guides, so they come first, followed by every episode in air order.
Season and episode numbers follow the original broadcast order.
The essentials(7)
Episodes that matter to more than one character, the most shared first.
- In 4 guides
Season 1, Episode 1
"Pilot"
- Janine Teagues: Janine's complaint to the district about wasted money lands right back on Ava's desk, and Ava embarrasses her in front of the staff.
- Ava Coleman: Ava spends supply money on a new sign and publicly humiliates Janine.
- Gregory Eddie: Gregory arrives at Abbott as a substitute for a fired first-grade teacher.
- Melissa Schemmenti: Melissa uses her connections to get rugs for the teachers' classrooms.
- In 2 guides
Season 1, Episode 12
"Ava vs. Superintendent"
- Ava Coleman: With her job in danger, Ava makes a strong pitch to the school board.
- Barbara Howard: Barbara secures funding for Abbott by pressuring a school board member she knows from church.
- In 2 guides
Season 2, Episode 14
"Valentine's Day"
- Ava Coleman: Sitting in on Jacob's class inspires Ava to go back to school.
- Jacob Hill: Ava sits in on Jacob's Black history class after a parent complaint and loves it.
- In 2 guides
Season 2, Episode 16
"Teacher Conference"
- Janine Teagues: Janine and Gregory share a kiss after sneaking into a closed exhibit.
- Melissa Schemmenti: A visit from her estranged sister Kristen Marie rattles Melissa, and Barbara pushes her to make peace.
- In 2 guides
Season 2, Episode 22
"Franklin Institute"
- Janine Teagues: Janine and Gregory finally confess their feelings but agree to stay friends for now.
- Gregory Eddie: Gregory and Janine confess their feelings on a museum field trip.
- In 2 guides
Season 3, Episode 1
"Career Day"
- Janine Teagues: Janine accepts a job with the district and later returns to Abbott for the career day she planned.
- Melissa Schemmenti: Gary's plan to propose ends their relationship.
- In 2 guides
Season 4, Episode 18
"Audit"
- Ava Coleman: Ava takes the blame for the golf course bribes and is relieved of her duties.
- Barbara Howard: Barbara becomes Abbott's permanent music teacher.
Every key episode by season(26)
Season 1(8 episodes)
Season 1, Episode 1
"Pilot"
An essential, in the guides for Janine Teagues, Ava Coleman, Gregory Eddie, and Melissa Schemmenti. Read the notes
Season 1, Episode 4
"New Tech"
- Barbara Howard: A data-entry slip with a new reading app makes Barbara's kindergartners look like advanced readers, and she is too proud to admit it.
Season 1, Episode 6
"Gifted Program"
- Melissa Schemmenti: Barbara encourages Melissa to go out with Gary, the vending machine man.
Season 1, Episode 9
"Step Class"
- Ava Coleman: Ava takes over Janine's step class, and her no-show turns out to be about caring for her grandmother.
Season 1, Episode 10
"Open House"
- Gregory Eddie: Gregory learns why he lost the principal job to Ava and bonds with Barbara's daughter Taylor.
Season 1, Episode 11
"Desking"
- Jacob Hill: Jacob's boyfriend Zach helps the staff investigate a viral desk-jumping trend, which finally dies when the teachers film Jacob doing it.
Season 1, Episode 12
"Ava vs. Superintendent"
An essential, in the guides for Ava Coleman and Barbara Howard. Read the notes
Season 1, Episode 13
"Zoo Balloon"
- Janine Teagues: On the year-end zoo trip, Janine decides not to follow Tariq to New York.
Season 2(7 episodes)
Season 2, Episode 3
"Story Samurai"
- Jacob Hill: Jacob's past as a member of a corny improv troupe comes back when the group visits Abbott.
Season 2, Episode 7
"Attack Ad"
- Barbara Howard: A charter school ad attacking Abbott turns out to be the work of Barbara's former student Draemond.
Season 2, Episode 14
"Valentine's Day"
An essential, in the guides for Ava Coleman and Jacob Hill. Read the notes
Season 2, Episode 15
"Fire"
- Barbara Howard: Barbara accidentally starts a small fire in the teachers' lounge and clashes with the fire captain.
Season 2, Episode 16
"Teacher Conference"
An essential, in the guides for Janine Teagues and Melissa Schemmenti. Read the notes
Season 2, Episode 20
"Educator of the Year"
- Gregory Eddie: Gregory wins Educator of the Year and squirms through a local news segment about it.
Season 2, Episode 22
"Franklin Institute"
An essential, in the guides for Janine Teagues and Gregory Eddie. Read the notes
Season 3(3 episodes)
Season 3, Episode 1
"Career Day"
An essential, in the guides for Janine Teagues and Melissa Schemmenti. Read the notes
Season 3, Episode 5
"Breakup"
- Jacob Hill: Jacob and Zach accept that their relationship is over.
Season 3, Episode 7
"Librarian"
- Jacob Hill: Jacob and Melissa try to hide their new friendship after becoming roommates.
Season 4(6 episodes)
Season 4, Episode 1
"Back to School"
- Janine Teagues: The staff discovers that Janine and Gregory have been dating all summer.
Season 4, Episode 3
"Class Pet"
- Melissa Schemmenti: Stuck with a guinea pig she did not ask for, Melissa falls for it anyway.
Season 4, Episode 8
"Winter Break"
- Melissa Schemmenti: Melissa hosts Christmas Eve dinner for her family and coworkers and refuses to let anything ruin it.
Season 4, Episode 18
"Audit"
An essential, in the guides for Ava Coleman and Barbara Howard. Read the notes
Season 4, Episode 19
"Music Class"
- Gregory Eddie: With Ava out, Gregory takes over as interim principal.
Season 4, Episode 21
"Rally"
- Ava Coleman: Students, teachers, and the community rally to win Ava her job back.
Season 5(2 episodes)
Season 5, Episode 16
"Campaign"
- Jacob Hill: With Ava as his campaign manager, Jacob wins a school liaison election by one vote.
Season 5, Episode 22
"Miami"
- Gregory Eddie: Ava names Gregory her assistant principal, fulfilling a long-held dream.
Seen them all? Test yourself with the Abbott Elementary trivia quiz, or meet the Abbott Elementary characters.
Play today's SitcomdleMore episode guides
Other ABC sitcoms and shows from the 2020s.
Abbott Elementary charactersAll 34 showsEvery sitcom character A to Z