Holidays & Seasons
School Culture & Colleagues

60 Best Halloween Costumes for Teachers and Their Work BFFs

Costumes are better with friends.

Examples of teacher Halloween costumes, including Trolls dolls and Rock, Paper, Scissors
We Are Teachers; @whatwhitwore via Instagram; @gphonda via Instagram
By We Are Teachers Staff
Sep 14, 2022

Do you and your work besties really want to impress your students this year with top-notch teacher Halloween costumes? No need to worry! We’ve got you covered with everything from the educational to the absurd. We’ll even help you gather all the essentials for each, so the whole crew looks their festive best. Flying solo on a costume this year instead of working with the whole group? No worries, we’ve got looks for you too!

Whether you’re the artsy friend who owns a coveted Cricut or more of a click-to-cart type, there is something for everyone on our list of the best teacher Halloween costumes. We have hilarious options from everyone’s favorite comedies like Napoleon Dynamite and The Office as well as educational choices that will fit in with your wellness and science units. Who knows, you might even win a costume contest while you’re at it! Go ahead and grab your fellow teachers to pick your favorite from our list below.

Solo Teacher Halloween Costumes

1. Wilson from Home Improvement

Teacher Halloween costumes can be from popular tv shows like this one. A boy wears a fishing hat and a plaid shirt and is holding a fence made from popsicle sticks in front of his face.
Mrs. Orman’s Classroom/Wilson via traceeorman.com

This one is a definite throwback, but we think a lot of kids have probably seen the reruns of this show. It is just too clever not to include on a list of teacher Halloween costumes.

Here’s how to get the look:

2. Pumpkin π

A woman is shown wearing an orange shirt with a green collar to look like a pumpkin. The mathematical symbol pie is on the shirt.
Rachel Joseph/Pumpkin Pi Costume via Pinterest

This one is for all those math teachers out there and maybe for the ELA teachers too since they love a good pun.

ADVERTISEMENT

Here’s how to get the look:

3. Ceiling Fan

A woman is seen wearing a white shirt that says Go Ceiling Go on it and holding pom poms in this funny teacher Halloween costumes idea.
Instructables/Ceiling Fan via instructables.com

Speaking of puns, this costume is so simple but so funny. See which of your students pick up on it the fastest!

Here’s how to get the look:

4. Fork in the Road

A woman is shown wearing all black with yellow lines down her shirt and pants to look like a road. A fork is stuck in the yellow lines.
Mrs. Orman’s Classroom/Fork in the Road via traceeorman.com

This costume pairs perfectly with a lesson on metaphors! We especially love that all it takes to recreate are some black clothes, yellow duct tape, and a fork, of course!

Here’s how to get the look:

5. Smartie Pants

Teacher Halloween costumes can be simple like this one in which a woman is shown wearing a white collared shirt, glasses, and pants with smartie candies taped onto them.
Crumb Kisses/10 Last-Minute Halloween Costumes via crumbkisses.com

Teacher Halloween costumes that can be pulled together last minute are a must since a teacher’s life is a busy one. Grab a bag of Smarties and tape them to your pants for what we think is a hilarious costume!

Here’s how to get the look:

6. Miss Havisham

Teacher halloween costumes can be literary like the old woman shown here in a wedding dress who is supposed to be Miss Havisham from Great Expectations.
Instructables/Miss Havisham via instructables.com

If you are a high school English teacher, this is the costume for you! Great Expectations is certainly a classic, and Miss Havisham might be the most memorable character from the novel.

Here’s how to get the look:

7. Waiting … waiting …

A woman is dressed as a skeleton and holding a frame around her face that says "teachers be like 'I'm just gonna wait til it's quiet.'"
@thecaffeinatedteacher/Waiting costume via Instagram

Talk about relatable! This costume idea is funny while also driving home a point to your (sometimes) chatty students.

Here’s how to get the look:

8. Popcorn Party

A teacher is dressed as popcorn and is standing in front of a shelf of buckets of popcorn.
magicwandprofessor/Popcorn Party via Instagram

This costume is just so cute! We especially love the way the teacher here has incorporated the popcorn theme into her reading nook.

Here’s how to get the look:

Teacher Halloween Costumes for Duos and Trios

9. Napoleon and Pedro

One character has brown hair and glasses and a white shirt that says vote for pedro. The other character has a western themed shirt on and a fake moustache.
People/Napoleon Dynamite via people.com

Some teacher Halloween costumes like this one may appeal more to your fellow teachers than your students since they hearken back to an old-school movie. It really couldn’t be easier to pull off this dynamic duo! We subbed in a blue shirt for Pedro (another one of his iconic looks from the film), but really any button-up will do.

Here’s how to get the look:

10. Alvin, Simon, and Theodore

Three women are dressed up as Alvin, Simon, and Theodore in a blue sweatshirt, a red sweatshirt with a yellow A, and a green sweatshirt.
lifewithmrswasick/Alvin, Simon, Theodore via Instagram

Caution: Whoever picks Alvin as their costume will probably hear it screamed at them more than once throughout the day. Otherwise, this costume is totally easy to put together!

Here’s how to get the look:

11. Slinky Dog

Gutsy Feeling/Slinky Dog Costume via gutsyfeeling.com

To recreate this look, just wear all brown, have one person don dog ears, and put some curly metal wire between you and your buddy for a perfect slinky pup.

Here’s how to get the look:

12. Cruella de Vil and Dalmatians

Three women are shown. The two on the outsides are dressed as dalmations. The one in the middle is dressed as Cruella Deville.
Teaching_in_Skirts/101 Dalmatians via Instagram

If you wanted, you could gather 101 of your teacher besties to join in! On top of DIY supplies, we found some ready-to-wear Dalmatian shirts, ears, and a Cruella you can pop on instead.

Here’s how to get the look:

13. Rock, Paper, Scissors

Three women are dressed as a rock, a piece of paper, and scissors.
whatwhitwore/Happy Halloween via Instagram

You can show off your DIY skills like these ladies—we’re especially impressed by those scissors!—or grab a pre-made costume.

Here’s how to get the look:

14. A Wearable History Lesson

Teacher Halloween costumes include this one which shows a man dressed as Uncle Sam and wearing a tall hat. He is standing behind a poster that says I want you. A woman is shown with her hair in a red and white polka dot bandana making a muscle with her arm. She is standing in front of a poster that says We Can Do It.
ESC Region 11 Social Studies/Costumes via Facebook

This one is perfect for the history department. Get yourself a recognizable hat and headscarf to bring good old Uncle Sam and Rosie the Riveter to life. Finally, get to work on those famous posters.

Here’s how to get the look:

15. Dominoes

Two women are dressed as dominoes.
Mom’s Kitchen Cool/Dominoes via Pinterest

Teacher Halloween costumes like this one that are simple and easy to put together mean more time for grading and bonding with your students. Just make sure your pieces can score a nice amount of points in case another pair of domino’d teachers challenges you to match.

Here’s how to get the look:

16. Coffee and Donut

Teacher Halloween costumes include a man dressed as a coffee cup and a woman as a chocolate sprinkle donut.
Amazon

Why not recreate your favorite teachers-lounge snack? Especially when it’s as easy as picking up ready-made costumes to slip on over your regular clothes!

Here’s how to get the look:

17. Best Friend Necklace

Two women have large pink hearts around them. Each heart fits into the other and is meant to be the sides of a friendship necklace.
jamierose23/Best Friends Necklace Costume via Instagram

You probably had one of those “best friend” heart necklaces as a child, right? Pretty much any color of construction paper will do, but we went for old-school nostalgia with a gold-and-silver theme for our product picks.

Here’s how to get the look:

18. Field Trip Survivors

Field Trip Survivors as an example of Teacher Halloween costumes
typeainprek/Happy Halloween via Instagram

So easy to put together with a simple poster-board sign—and you can mix things up by basing it off whatever your most recent school field trip was. These ladies seem to have survived a visit to the local pumpkin patch. Did you go to a museum recently instead? Try ripping up a cheap print of famous artwork that was on display for another fun spin (and then maybe reprinting some to hang up in class).

Here’s how to get the look:

19. Hippie Teachers

Teacher Halloween costumes include two women shown dressed in tie dye shirts, flower crowns, and sunglasses
Cmsheppard/flower children via Pinterest

Know anyone who’s stashed away some old 1970’s duds? This group costume is the perfect time to show them off! If not, there are a couple of other options we found for embracing your inner hippie.

Here’s how to get the look:

20. Encanto Ensemble

Three women are shown dressed as Mirabel, Dolores, and Isabel from Encanto. The woman on the left has on a white and teal dress, the woman in the middle has on a yellow, white, and red dress, and the woman on the right has on a fancy purple dress.
princesspartygdl/Encanto via Instagram

We don’t talk about Bruno, but we definitely will be talking about this fun costume idea. Your students have likely seen Encanto and will therefore love seeing you dressed as one of their favorite characters.

Here’s how to get the look:

21. Hocus Pocus

Teacher Halloween costumes based on Halloween movies like Hocus Pocus are perfect. Three women dressed as three different witches in elaborate costumes are shown.
linzhinzstudio/Sanderson Sisters via Instagram

Hocus Pocus has become a classic Halloween movie in the last few decades, and the recent sequel has introduced it to younger audiences too. We can think of many costumes more fun than dressing as the hilarious Sanderson sisters!

Here’s how to get the look:

22. A Human Pinata

Two women are shown wearing brightly colored tops that look like pinatas.
Costume Works/Pinata via costume-works.com

Kids love pinatas and their teachers so they will really get a kick out of seeing those two things combined with this funny costume idea! Just make sure that no one tries to whack you with a stick!

Here’s how to get the look:

23. Monsters, Inc.

Two women are shown dressed as monsters from the movie Monsters, Inc.
thetalesofmisstrow/Monsters Inc. via Instagram

Regardless of whether you choose to be Sully, Mike Wazowski, or one of the other adorable characters in this Disney classic, your class will love it! We love that it requires very little to pull together since some construction helmets and paper cut-outs will go a long way.

Here’s how to get the look:

Teacher Halloween Costumes for Groups

24. Crayola Crayon Box

About a dozen people are wearing different colored pointy hats and different colored shirts. They are all standing inside a huge yellow box that says Crayola Crayons 12.
Ashleigh Ford/Crayola Crayons via Instagram

We just love teacher Halloween costumes that look like they belong in their students’ backpacks. This super-easy costume idea works well for bigger groups, and you really only need some primary-color T-shirts and party hats. It will help to have someone crafty to create the lettering and big box.

Here’s how to get the look:

25. Blue’s Clues & Co.

Four people are dressed as various characters from the show Blues Clues.
tooschool_forcool/Blues Clues via Instagram

We’ll give you four clues about what this next group costume is! How clever is this group’s idea for painting chef hats for the Salt and Pepper toppers? We also found an exact replica of Steve’s shirt from the show and some fun options for Blue!

Here’s how to get the look:

26. Bucket Fillers

Four women teachers are shown wearing buckets around their waists with smiley faces on them. They have hearts and stars taped to their shirts.
Kathy Trainor-Bruso/Bucket Filler Costume via Pinterest

A group costume that also reinforces a message about kindness and filling others’ buckets—yes, indeed! The hardest part will be cutting the plastic buckets to shape, but from there you’ll just need a little hot glue and your imagination.

Here’s how to get the look:

27. Mother Nature and the Four Seasons

A woman in the middle is wearing a green dress with a sign that says mother nature. A woman dressed as winter and another dressed as spring are standing to her left. A woman to the right is dressed as summer and another woman to her right is dressed as fall.
Allison Bates/Four Seasons via Pinterest

Teacher Halloween costumes that can be mostly assembled with items you already own are a win-win in our book. This look will work well with a science unit on weather for younger grades.

Here’s how to get the look:

28. The Princess A-Team

Six women are dressed up as different Disney princesses.
craftanoon/Princess Costumes via Instagram

Teacher Halloween costumes that make you look like a beloved Disney character will be sure to please. We took inspiration from the Fairy Godmother on the far left and found some lovely pieces, plus pre-made costumes to let your inner Disney princess shine!

Here’s how to get the look:

29. Teenage Mutant Ninja Teachers

Several female teachers are dressed up like ninja turtles.
PS889K/Ninja Turtles via Twitter

Did you know a group of turtles is called a “bale”? Yep, you can use this fun costume as a teaching moment too!

Here’s how to get the look:

30. Candy!

Seven teachers pose wearing t-shirts with different candy logos on them.
karenscheuer/Candies via karenscheuer.files.wordpress.com

This costume idea will have your students debating over what’s the best candy. You’ll need an artistic peer to get in on the fun since someone has to paint the logos on the T-shirts.

Here’s how to get the look:

31. The Emoji Keyboard

Teachers are shown dressed as different emojis.
slooplions/Emojis via Instagram

Anyone else especially relate to the emoji on the far right? Let students know how you really feel with this adorable and easy-to-make costume.

Here’s how to get the look:

32. Jellyfish

7 teachers stand under different colored umbrellas that have eyes attached to make them look like jellfish. There are streamers coming down from each umbrella.
All About 3rd Grade/Jelly Fish Costume via allabout3rdgrade.com

This idea is so easy to recreate and will be sure to delight your students. Purchase some cheap umbrellas or grab some from home, add some large googly eyes, and finally, attach some crepe paper.

Here’s how to get the look:

33. The Office

Three people are seen dressed in office attire as the characters from the sitcom.
Come Stay a While/The Office Costume via Pinterest

Get the whole group together and dress as the cast from “The Office.”

Here’s how to get the look:

34. Grammar Police

Seven women are shown wearing police officer hats and wearing black shirts that say Grammar Police.
Mrs. Patricia J. Leister/Grammar Police via Twitter

This is the perfect group costume for the English/Language Arts Department. Your students will be on their best grammar behavior to avoid arrest!

Here’s how to get the look:

35. Magic School Bus

Eight women are inside a cardboard bus that reads Magic School Bus. The woman in the front has a red, curly wig on.
Coolest Homemade Costumes/Magic School Bus via coolest-homemade-costumes.com

A childhood staple for millennials and even their kids thanks to the revival series, The Magic School Bus is a beloved show and book series that makes for a perfect group costume. You’ll definitely want to get a red wig and the perfect dress for everyone’s favorite teacher, Ms. Frizzle. If you’re really feeling adventurous, buy some battery-operated tap lights to use as working headlights!

Here’s how to get the look:

36. Beanie Babies

Eight teachers are in a group photos dressed as different animal beanie babies. They all have large tags around their necks with the trademark TY on them.
Esther Chae/Beanie Babies via Twitter

Since kids love Beanie Babies, this will be the perfect teacher costume to grab their attention. Pick your favorite animal onesie, then find your artsy friend who owns a Cricut and get some help making the signature TY tags. Bonus: You’ll never be more comfortable at work!

Here’s how to get the look:

37. 1 Fish, 2 Fish, Red Fish, Blue Fish

Teachers are dressed in yellow, green, red, and blue shirts and tutus.
Alexlexlalove/Fish Costumes via Instagram

Bonus: You can reuse these tutus next year for The Day the Crayons Quit costumes. It may be difficult to find the fishy headgear the teachers sport in this pic, but you could try cutting out fish shapes from construction paper or similar creative options.

Here’s how to get the look:

38. Food Groups

Six teachers are dressed up as different foods including peanut butter, peas, a carrot, an apple, milk, and a strawberry.
Littleton Public Schools/Food Groups via lpsfoundation.com

Teacher Halloween costumes that double as a wellness lesson—yes, please! This is a great ensemble costume idea if you’re in a time crunch and need an inexpensive, pre-made option. Plus, you can add more folks in on the fun—like someone covered in purple balloons as a bunch of grapes!

Here’s how to get the look:

39. The Holidays

Five women are dressed up as different seasons.
fall_in_love93/The Holidays via Instagram

Everyone picks their favorite holiday! There are so many ways you can go for the outfits, depending on your mood and closet, so we focused on finding the best seasonal headgear to top you off.

Here’s how to get the look:

40. The Care Bears

Six women are dressed up in different colored shirts with different symbols on them. They are all wearing bear ears.
ntmyerica/Care Bears via Instagram

Teacher Halloween costumes can be nostalgic like this one from your favorite childhood cartoon. Choose the bear that fits each group member’s personality the best, and give your students the Care Bear Stare!

Here’s how to get the look:

41. Expo Markers

Halloween Expo Markers Teacher Costume; a large group shot shows women all dressed as different colored markers.
mmeelarue/Expo-Markers via Instagram

Have a showdown with another group dressed as the Crayola colors for an epic battle of the best school supplies! Or just have fun posing like this group. Either way, grabbing some card stock for the cap hats, white aprons, and fabric paint will do the trick.

Here’s how to get the look:

42. Giraffes Can’t Dance

Several teachers are dressed in giraffe costumes and holding the book Giraffe's Can't Dance
nofluffteachingstuff/Giraffes Can’t Dance via Instagram

Teacher Halloween costumes should be comfortable like this cute look. Giraffes Can’t Dance is one of our favorite books for teaching social skills—and reading it to your kids will be even more magical while dressed in a fun onesie!

Here’s how to get the look:

43. Pooh and Friends!

Pooh and Friends Halloween costumes for teachers, poo, piglet, eyeore, and tigger are shown.
Firstie Land/Winnie the Pooh via Instagram

You can’t go wrong with these classic characters from the Hundred Acre Wood! These DIY shirts are adorable, but we also found some pre-made ones to make life easier for you.

Here’s how to get the look:

44. The Price Is Right

Teacher halloween costumes like this one show four people wearing price is right shirts in different colors with signs with different numbers on them attached to them.
Amazon

While it might not be as fun as being an actual contestant on The Price Is Right, you can still pretend! You can also try incorporating elements of the game show into your lesson plan!

Here’s how to get the look:

45. Trolls

Teacher Halloween costumes like this one include five people dressed as troll dolls. Their skin is painted blue, purple, pink, and green and they have troll hair wigs.
gphonda/Our Lovely Trolls via Instagram

Regardless of whether you grew up playing with troll dolls in the 1980s and 1990s or just started to love them with the newer movies, everyone will love dressing up in these cute costumes.

Here’s how to get the look:

46. Alice in Wonderland

Six adults are shown dressed as various characters from Alice in Wonderland.
ebberinflow/Alice in Wonderland via Instagram

Alice in Wonderland is a classic that you can share with your students in the weeks before Halloween. Once they’ve become familiar with the story and the beloved characters, they will delight in seeing their teachers in this fun group costume. You can make some adjustments to make sure the costumes stay modest enough for the classroom.

Here’s how to get the look:

47. Mario Kart Cast

Four men are dressed up as characters from Mario Kart. They are wearing red, yellow, and green and have boxes around them that are meant to be their carts.
dj30rack/Mario Kart via Instagram

There are few things kids love more than video games so why not bring that into the classroom with these fun costumes? Maybe have kids complete a writing assignment on which character they like best and why!

Here’s how to get the look:

48. 1990s Toys

Five women are dressed as various toys from the 1990's including a magic 8 ball and a TY toy.
Studio DIY/90s Toys Costumes via studiodiy.com

Feeling nostalgic for your childhood while maybe wanting to introduce your students to some cool retro toys? This costume idea is so unique, and you can pick and choose which toys to turn into costumes!

Here’s how to get the look:

Learn more: DIY 90S Toys Costumes at Studio DIY

49. The Breakfast Club

Teacher Halloween costumes can be retro like this one that shows 5 people dressed as various characters from the 1980's movie The Breakfast Club.
Brit + Co/Halloween Costume Ideas – The Breakfast Club via www.brit.co

The Breakfast Club may have been filmed in the 1980s, but it still holds up today. Gather your teacher besties and have fun deciding who will be the popular girl, the nerd, the misfit, the bad boy, and the jock. But please, don’t you forget about me!

Here’s how to get the look:

50. The Royal Wedding

Eight people are dressed as different members of the Royal Family including one who is a dog.
Brit + Co/Group Halloween Costume Ideas – The Royal Wedding via www.brit.co

We’ll be honest, this one is so good, it has us in stitches. The best part is you can use it to jump-start a discussion on the history of the Royal Family!

Here’s how to get the look:

51. Pokémon

Three people and a dog are dressed as Pokemon characters
Brit + Co/Group Halloween Costume Ideas – Pokémon via www.brit.co

Kids (and let’s face it adults too) love Pokémon so they will definitely be into this fun teacher Halloween costume!

Here’s how to get the look:

52. The Golden Girls

Four young women are dressed as old women to resemble the cast from the 1980s show The Golden Girls.
Daily Mail/New Golden Girls via www.dailymail.co.uk

This costume might need some explaining for your students since The Golden Girls was on in the 1980s. Regardless of whether they’ve heard of the show, they will still get a kick out of seeing their teachers age so quickly.

Here’s how to get the look:

53. Play-Doh Containers

Six teachers are dressed as play-doh containers wearing yellow shirts and different colored frisbees on their head as the lids.
K Teacher Tiff/Play-Doh via kteachertiff.com

This costume is so simple to pull off since it requires little more than a Play-Doh shirt and a bunch of different-colored Frisbees. We especially love that it works for large groups or just one teacher.

Here’s how to get the look:

54. Ice Cream Sundae

six teachers are shown with cherries on their heads wearing shirts with sprinkles on them. They are holding a large cut out of a banana.
K Teacher Tiff/Ice Cream Sundae via kteachertiff.com

As far as teacher Halloween costumes go, this one is so tasty! Sprinkle shirts, cherry headbands, and a large cut-out banana are all you need to pull this look together.

Here’s how to get the look:

55. Gymnasts

Teacher Halloween costumes include five women are dressed as U.S. Olympian gymnasts.
Brit + Co./Group Halloween Costume Ideas – Gymnasts via www.brit.co

Regardless of whether you love Simone Biles or Mary Lou Retton, you and your teacher friends will have a blast dressing up as Olympic gymnasts. It will get your students excited about the Olympics and can spark a great history lesson too!

Here’s how to get the look:

56. DC vs. Marvel

Teacher Halloween costumes include a large group of people dressed as superheroes.
Brit + Co./Group Halloween Costume Ideas – DC Vs. Marvel via www.brit.co

Almost everyone has an opinion on whether the DC or Marvel Universe is better, and this cute costume idea will certainly spark that debate. You can also use it as a jumping-off point for a writing assignment.

Here’s how to get the look:

57. Learning Targets

Four teachers are shown wearing red shirts with signs around their necks about learning targets.
targetteachers/Target Costumes via Instagram

Every teacher loves Target so why not incorporate that into your teacher Halloween costumes? All you need to make this one a reality are red shirts, Target name tags, and some laminated cards with your favorite learning targets on them.

Here’s how to get the look:

58. Circus

Teacher Halloween costumes include a man dressed as a ringmaster with a woman dressed as a lion on his back.
Brit + Co./Group Halloween Costume Ideas – Circus via www.brit.co

Who hasn’t dreamed of being a ringmaster at least once in their life? Gather your teacher friends and create a whole circus worth of costume ideas.

Here’s how to get the look:

59. School Supplies

Teacher Halloween costumes include people dressed as a pencil, Elmer's glue, a highlighter, and scissors.
Oriental Trading Company

Teacher Halloween costumes with a school theme like this one are perfect, but be careful no one tries to shove you in their backpack.

Here’s how to get the look:

60. Sesame Street

A large group of teachers are dressed as Sesame Street characters.
Pocket of Preschool/26 Halloween Costumes for Teachers via pocketofpreschool.com

This is such a cute costume, especially for preschool teachers. It works perfectly for large groups of teachers since there are so many beloved Sesame Street characters.

Here’s how to get the look:

Do you have an amazing group or partner Halloween costume? Come and share in our We Are Teachers chat group on Facebook.

Plus, take a look at these book character teacher Halloween costumes and classroom crafts and activities for Halloween.