50 free School of Rock trivia questions with answers — entertainment quiz, new questions added Aug 2026.
42 free School of Rock trivia questions with answers. School of Rock is the rare family comedy that actually rocks: Jack Black posing as a substitute teacher, a class of fifth-graders who can really play, and a Battle of the Bands finale that still gets crowds shouting for an encore. This quiz covers the 2003 film in depth, from No Vacancy and Ned Schneebly to Summer the band manager, Principal Mullins' Stevie Nicks moment and the school bus dash to the show, plus the making of it, the soundtrack (including the video begging Led Zeppelin for a song), the box-office numbers, the Andrew Lloyd Webber musical and the Nickelodeon series. The early questions are easy for anyone who has seen the film; later ones dig into filming locations, casting and stage-show details. Every answer was checked against the film's documented production and release history, so it will hold up in an argument. Good for a movie night, a music-class treat or a pub quiz round. Free, no signup, answers included.
30 of 50 questions with answers and explanations. Play the quiz
Q 01Who directed the 2003 film School of Rock?
Richard Linklater
The Austin filmmaker behind Dazed and Confused personally scouted the country for 13-year-old musicians who could really play.
Q 02Who plays Dewey Finn?
Jack Black
His performance earned a Golden Globe nomination, which he lost to Bill Murray for Lost in Translation.
Q 03What is the name of the band that fires Dewey at the start of the film?
No Vacancy
The replacement guitarist is called Spider, and the band goes on to win the Battle of the Bands anyway.
Q 04What ends Dewey's final performance with his old band?
A failed stage dive
The gag was inspired by a real stage dive gone wrong that the star once saw Ian Astbury of The Cult attempt.
Q 05Whose identity does Dewey steal to get the substitute-teaching job?
His roommate Ned
The roommate is played by screenwriter Mike White, whose girlfriend Patty is played by Sarah Silverman.
Q 06What is the name of the prep school where Dewey teaches?
Horace Green
The building is really Main Hall at Wagner College on Staten Island, and every hallway scene was shot in a single corridor.
Q 07Why does Dewey tell the class to call him "Mr. S"?
He cannot spell Schneebly
He behaves so erratically on day one that the class has no idea what to make of him.
Q 08How many months behind on rent is Dewey when the film begins?
Four
Patty pushes Ned to demand the money, which is what drives Dewey to try selling his gear and then to steal the teaching job.
Q 09Which student becomes the band's lead guitarist?
Zack Mooneyham
His overbearing father disapproves of rock, and it is Zack's own song the band plays at the Battle of the Bands.
Q 10Katie plays which classical instrument before Dewey moves her to bass?
Cello
The kids in the film were all real young musicians recruited in a nationwide search.
Q 11What job does the precocious Summer Hathaway land in Dewey's project?
Band manager
The role was Miranda Cosgrove's film debut, three years before iCarly.
Q 12Which student is too self-conscious to audition despite having an amazing voice?
Tomika
Dewey coaxes her out by pointing to plus-sized singers like Aretha Franklin, and she ends up with a show-stopping solo.
Q 13What lie gets the band an audition slot after the Battle of the Bands bill is full?
That the kids have a terminal illness
The idea comes from Summer, whose ruthless management skills earn her the job in the first place.
Q 21Which band backed the kids on the soundtrack recording of the title song and co-wrote it?
The Mooney Suzuki
Sammy James Jr. wrote it with Mike White; the band also appears on the closing AC/DC cover.
Q 22Which AC/DC song do the kids cover for the encore in the finale?
It's a Long Way to the Top
The band reunited to play it again at the film's tenth-anniversary screening in Austin in 2013.
Q 23Which Darkness track was swapped onto the CD soundtrack because the film's version had too much foul language?
"Growing On Me" replaced "Black Shuck"
Q 14Dewey bonds with Principal Mullins over her love of which singer?
Stevie Nicks
"Edge of Seventeen" is on the soundtrack, and Andrew Lloyd Webber insisted the musical keep a Stevie Nicks song too.
Q 15Who plays Principal Rosalie Mullins?
Joan Cusack
On Broadway the part went to Sierra Boggess, whom critics called the closest thing the show had to a female lead.
Q 16How does Ned discover that Dewey has been impersonating him?
A paycheck arrives in his name from the school
Dewey begs him not to tell Patty, who ends up bringing the police to parents' night anyway.
Q 17Who wins the Battle of the Bands?
No Vacancy
The crowd chants for an encore from the kids anyway, and Dewey ends up running School of Rock as an after-school program.
Q 18What real-world recordings inspired screenwriter Mike White's concept?
The Langley Schools Music Project
The Canadian schoolchildren's recordings of pop songs from the 1970s became a cult release in 2001.
Q 19The school exteriors and hallways were shot at which real campus?
Wagner College, Staten Island
The concert theatre in many shots was the Union County Performing Arts Center in Rahway, New Jersey.
Q 20How did the filmmakers persuade Led Zeppelin to allow "Immigrant Song" in the film?
They filmed a video of the star begging on stage with a cheering crowd
The plea was sent straight to Page, Plant and John Paul Jones, and the video is included on the DVD.
The soundtrack album came out on September 30, 2003, three days before the film.
Q 24Which Doors song does Dewey sing to Lawrence while the boy plays the keyboard part?
Touch Me
Lawrence's worry is that he is not cool enough for the band, which Dewey fixes with a lesson in attitude.
Q 25What was the film's production budget?
$35 million
It grossed about $131 million worldwide, almost four times that figure.
Q 26Which 2015 film overtook School of Rock as the highest-grossing music-themed comedy?
Pitch Perfect 2
The film opened at number one and stayed in the top ten for six weeks.
Q 27Which studio released the film in October 2003?
Paramount
The same studio's television arm later teamed with Nickelodeon to make the TV adaptation.
Q 28What award did the star win at the MTV Movie Awards for the film?
Best Comedic Performance
The film also won Best Comedy Film at the 2004 British Comedy Awards.
Q 29What was the working title of the long-discussed sequel?
School of Rock 2: America Rocks
The plot would have followed Dewey taking summer-school students on a cross-country trip through rock history; the star declared it dead in 2012, then hinted at a revival in 2023.
Q 30Which composer bought the stage rights and wrote the musical's score?
Andrew Lloyd Webber
It was his first show to open on Broadway before London since Jesus Christ Superstar in 1971.