Former High Schools

In Danganronpa: Trigger Happy Havoc, it is stipulated that to be considered for recruitment to Hope's Peak Academy, a student must already be attending high school. This rule also carried over to Danganronpa 2: Goodbye Despair, and to the Ultimate Academy for Gifted Juveniles featured in Danganronpa V3: Killing Harmony. Although the students' former schools are never mentioned by name in-game, the schools were revealed in the games' associated art-books, and school emblems can be seen incorporated into most characters' designs.

Danganronpa: Trigger Happy Havoc
＊ The following school names were translated by, based on 1.2 Reload artbook scans.

Trivia

 * Leon's school, LL学園 (LL Academy), seems to be a combination of and the high school of his namesake - professional baseball player  - who attended PL High School.
 * Chihiro's school, 聖エルバンディア学園 (St. Elbandia Academy), is a reference to  (エルヴァンディア ストーリー Erubandia Sutōrī) which was also published by Spike.
 * Kiyotaka's school, Kaiseidan High School (開成灘高校), is a reference to two real-world schools that are two of Japan's top academic schools: 開成高校 (Kaisei Koukou) and 灘高校 (Nada Koukou). The Kanji 開成 (Kaisei) and 灘 (Nada) are combined to make 開成灘 (Kaiseidan).
 * Byakuya's school, 聖エルバンディア学園 (Green Hills High School), is a reference to the, the first, and most famous, level in the  video game franchise.
 * Toko's school, 川端女子高校 (Kawabata Joshi Kōtō), is likely a reference to Japanese novelist, who was the first Japanese person to win the Nobel Prize for Literature. As 女子 is Japanese for "Girl", this would refer to Toko, a female novelist, as a "Girl Kawabata".
 * Aoi's school, あすなろ高校 (Asunaro High School), is likely a reference to the conifer, known as Asunaro in Japan.
 * Junko's school, グンマ県立渋谷高校 (Gunma Prefectural Shibutani High School), is a reference to real-world school Gunma Prefectural Chuo Secondary School which gained national attention for its specialization in English language immersion.

Danganronpa 2: Goodbye Despair
＊ The following school names were translated by, based on 1.2 Reload artbook scans.

Trivia

 * Hajime's, school 小高高校 (Kodaka High School), is a reference to series creator Kazutaka Kodaka.
 * Sonia's school インユーテロ校 (In Utero School) is yet another reference to the American rock band, specifically their third and final album .
 * Hiyoko's school, 金光女子学院 (Golden Light Girl's Institute), is possibly inspired by the real-world high school Kaneko Gakuen Junior High School ・High School, (金光学園中学校・高等学校).
 * Nekomaru's school 横山第一高校 (First Yokoyama High School) is possibly a reference to the famous Japanese sports people with the family name (横山).
 * Peko's school, 不知火高校 (Shiranui High School), is the same school Sakura Ogami attended.
 * Ibuki's school, 司馬学園 (Shiba Academy), is possibly inspired by the real-world high school Shiba Academy (芝中学校・芝高等学校).
 * Fuyuhiko's school 鈴乱高校 (Suzuran High School) is a reference to the high school in the Japanese action film .

Danganronpa V3: Killing Harmony
＊ The following school names were translated by, based on Danganronpa V3 bonus gallery concert art profiles.

Trivia

 * Kaede's school, 光星国際アカデミー (Shining Star International High School), is a reference to the real-world high school Shiritsu Seisa Kokusai High School (星槎国際高等学校).
 * The school symbol for Shiritsu is also incredibly similar to Kaede's school's symbol.
 * K1-B0's school, 光星国際アカデミー (Īdabashi Industries High School), is named after his creator Professor Idabashi, and most likely is not a true high school.
 * Kokichi's school, 帝都大帝都高校 (Imperial Capital's Imperial High School), name is inspired by the word "imperial", which means "relating to an empire", which is a clear reference to Kokichi's talent Ultimate Supreme Leader.
 * Tsumugi's school, 百合薔薇女子学園 (Lily Rose Girl's Academy), is most likely named after the Japanese terms Yuri (百合), a genre of fiction of love between women, and Bara (薔薇), a genre of fiction of love between men.
 * Korekiyo's school, 夕陽ヶ丘学園 (Sunset Hill High School), is possibly a reference to the real-world high school Ōsakayūhigaoka Gakuen High School (大阪夕陽丘学園高等学校).
 * It's made even more possible this is a reference to the school as Ōsakayūhigaoka used to be a women exclusive school, and that Korekiyo has a "unique" relationship with his sister, so it's possible she attended it and he simply claims he did.
 * Kirumi's school, 天ノ川高校 (Milky Way High School), is a direct reference to the fictional high school Amanogawa High School from the Japanese drama TV series Kamen Rider Fourze.
 * Maki's school, 勇心館高校 (Brave Heart Hall High School), is possibly a reference to the song Brave Heart from the Japanese anime Digimon Adventure.
 * It's made more apparent as there is a character named Maki Himekawa (姫川 マキ Himekawa Maki) in one of the Digimon series.
 * Ryoma's school, 霞ヶ丘高校 (Fog Heights High School), is possibly inspired by the real-world school Fukuoka Kenritsu Kasumigaoka High School (福岡県立香住丘高等学校 ).
 * Kaito's school, 怒首領蜂商業高校 (Dodonpachi Commercial High), is a reference to the Japanese shooter game  (怒首領蜂).
 * His school's symbol also reflects this reference, as DoDonPachi translates into "Angry Leader Bee".
 * Miu's school, 神明工業高校 (Shinmei Industries High School, is a reference to Shinmei Industries (新明工業株式会社).