8 Effective Ways to Find Your Former High School Classmates

If you’re still in contact with your old classmates, you’re a lucky person. Not everyone gets to remain in touch with people they went to school with. Some simply want to talk to their classmates or reminisce about school memories; others might need to find their old schoolmates to organize a class reunion or plan any other event together.

But what are the most effective ways to reach out to people you studied with in high school? Let’s find out in this blog post.

How to Locate Former High School Classmates

Search on Social Media Platforms

The most obvious and effective way is to search for your old schoolmates on Instagram, Facebook, X (Twitter), or TikTok. These platforms are used by billions of people, and there’s a high chance that your classmates have social media accounts.

To find them, you need their full names or aliases that they had at school. It’s also a good idea to reverse-search their pictures on Google in order to locate their social media profiles.

If you think that the classmate you’re looking for has a career in any industry, it’s very likely that they have an account on LinkedIn, the world’s biggest professional platform, so you might give it a try.

Use People Search Websites

If by any chance you remember the classmate’s full name or have their old phone number, email address, or physical address, people search websites like UnMask can be of great use. All you need to do is enter the necessary details on a certain platform and hit enter.

Such platforms collect information from public sources and give access to current details about people, even if the information you’ve typed in is outdated. Among these details, you’ll find your classmate’s phone number, email address, address, age, workplace, interests, and more.

Search on Alumni Websites

Many high schools have alumni associations that help organize reunions or keep people in touch. That’s why it’s important to check your school’s alumni website to see if the classmates you’re looking for are registered there.

Some common alumni websites are Classmates.com or Alumni.net. They allow users to connect with former classmates by registering with their school year and browsing people who graduated in the same year.

Ask Mutual Friends

Do you by any chance have friends who might know some of your classmates? If so, it’s worthwhile to reach out to them and ask for your classmates’ contact information.

This method might not necessarily yield the results you need, but it’s worth trying, especially if other ways don’t work.

What if your friends can even help you meet in person to talk about your old school days? You never know.

Just Search for Them on Google

Google is the most powerful search engine with billions of searches every day. It constantly indexes pages from websites, blogs, social media platforms, and other resources. So, if you find it difficult to locate your classmates on social media, googling their names can be useful.

However, if your classmate has a common name like, let’s say, John Smith, adding additional information is critical in this case. Maybe you know their age, profession, aliases, or anything else. If so, don’t forget to mention it.

Post a Notice in the Newspaper

This desperate method is used by people who tried many ways but ended up not finding anything. To post a notice in the newspaper, you need to contact your local newspaper and tell them what needs to be mentioned in the notice.

Include the name of the high school, your name, your classmate’s name, their unique traits, interests, and the year you graduated.

This method is particularly effective for Baby Boomers, as this generation still reads newspapers more than Gen Z and Millenials.

Attend High School Reunions

If there are reunions at your high school, it’s necessary to attend them to reconnect with your old classmates. Even if some of them don’t show up, you can ask others about their whereabouts or contact information.

Other than that, reunions are an amazing opportunity to have fun and interact with people who were once a part of your teenage years.

Ask on Online Forums

Online forums are an amazing opportunity to search for your high school classmates. It’s especially worthwhile to search on local online forums, as there’s a higher possibility that your classmates will notice your post.

In the post, mention as much information as possible, such as your classmates’ names, ages, aliases, and other details. Don’t forget to mention the reason why you’re looking for them and include your contact information in case they decide to reach out directly.

Let’s Sum Up

In the age of technology, it’s never been easier to find former classmates. There are many effective ways you can try to locate those you attended high school with, from social media and people search websites to alumni websites and forums.

This process, however, may take time in some cases, especially if your classmates don’t have social media or you only remember their names. Try as many methods as possible to make sure you’re going to contact the right person.