With Classmates search, it’s easy to look up old students. If they\u2019re registered users, you can even shoot them a message! And of course, you can explore old yearbook photos of your students (and yourself) if your school\u2019s yearbooks are included in Classmates’ digital archive of 480,000+ yearbooks.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Here\u2019s how to start your student search on Classmates. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
Student Finder: Starting Your Search<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
You can search for students by name and school directly on Classmates. Here\u2019s how: <\/p>\n\n\n\n
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- Register for Classmates<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n\n\n\n
First things first, you need to register for Classmates<\/a> for free by joining your own<\/em> <\/em>high school class, NOT the school you taught at. (Who knows, maybe you\u2019ll rediscover long lost friends<\/a> from your own high school too!)<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Don\u2019t worry, once you register you can search for people and yearbooks by name and school from across the U.S. (not just your own high school) including old students. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
Start that process here<\/a> and fill out the following details:<\/p>\n\n\n\n
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- First name<\/strong><\/li>\n\n\n\n
- Last name (for women, use your <\/strong>maiden name<\/strong><\/a> from high school)<\/strong><\/li>\n\n\n\n
- Current last name (if different)<\/strong><\/li>\n\n\n\n
- Email address<\/strong><\/li>\n\n\n\n
- School (select your state and city to find your school)<\/strong><\/li>\n\n\n\n
- Grad year<\/strong><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n
![\"Register](\"https:\/\/www.classmates.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/image-4-1024x895.png\")
<\/figure>\n\n\n\nAnd there you have it! Hit submit, confirm your email, and you\u2019ll officially be a Classmates member<\/a> and can kick off your student search.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
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- Start Your Student Search<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n\n\n\n
Your favorite students may be on Classmates to keep in touch with their schoolmates and access digital versions of their old yearbooks<\/a>. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
Start searching for your student in the upper right hand corner of the homepage once you\u2019re logged in. There is a search bar for looking people up<\/a> where you can select \u201cAll People & Schools\u201d and type in their name. To refine the search, also include the name of the school they attended and\/or the town name.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
![\"Student](\"https:\/\/www.classmates.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/image-1-1024x168.png\")
<\/figure>\n\n\n\nExample searches:<\/p>\n\n\n\n
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- [Name] – John Smith<\/strong><\/li>\n\n\n\n
- [Name + Town Name + State]<\/strong> – John Smith Middletown New Jersey<\/li>\n\n\n\n
- [Name + School Name] <\/strong>– John Smith Middletown High School South<\/li>\n\n\n\n
- [Name + School Name + Town Name + State]<\/strong> – John Smith Middletown High School South Middletown New Jersey<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n
If you were their teacher<\/a> in elementary or middle school, you should still look up their name + HIGH SCHOOL<\/strong> <\/strong>specifically, <\/strong>since they likely registered for Classmates with their high school (rather than elementary or middle school).<\/p>\n\n\n\n
![\"Search](\"https:\/\/www.classmates.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/image-10.jpeg\")
<\/figure>\n\n\n\nExample shown for demonstration purposes; actual results may vary.<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n
Hit enter, and the results on Classmates will be all of the listed alumni with the provided name. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
You can verify its your student if you know the timeframe that they attended the school, since their years of attendance are featured directly below their name in the search results: <\/p>\n\n\n\n
![\"Search](\"https:\/\/www.classmates.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/image-11.jpeg\")
<\/figure>\n\n\n\nExample shown for demonstration purposes; actual results may vary.<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n
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- View Their Profile and\/Or Send Them a Message<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n\n\n\n
If you find your student, you can click on their name to view their profile, or can click on the message icon if you\u2019d like to reach out via Classmates DMs.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
![\"Profile\"](\"https:\/\/www.classmates.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/image.png\")
<\/figure>\n\n\n\nExample shown for demonstration purposes; actual results may vary.<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n
Type up your message and hit send! It\u2019s free to send messages. For them to be able to view and respond to your message for free, you can upgrade to Classmates+<\/a>!<\/p>\n\n\n\n
![\"Dashboard\"](\"https:\/\/www.classmates.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/image-2.png\")
<\/figure>\n\n\n\nExample shown for demonstration purposes; actual results may vary.<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n
Look at Old Student \/ Teacher Photos in Your School Yearbooks!<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
Taking a trip down memory lane and wondering what your old class list<\/a> looked like? Do you remember a classic candid shot of you teaching some of your favorite students in class in a vintage yearbook<\/a>? Look for old pictures of your students and yourself back in the day in the Classmates yearbook collection that features 480,000+ elementary, middle, high school, and college yearbooks. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
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- Start with a Yearbook Search<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n\n\n\n
You can start your yearbook search here<\/a>. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
![\"Yearbook](\"https:\/\/www.classmates.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/image-6-841x1024.png\")
<\/figure>\n\n\n\nExample shown for demonstration purposes; actual results may vary.<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n
If you know the specific year your student was in your class, search for your school name + the year to see if Classmates has that specific yearbook. Do you have a common school name? You can add your state name to refine your search.<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n
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- If It\u2019s Available, Click on the Yearbook<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n\n\n\n
If Classmates has that book available, it should show up in the yearbook search results as follows:<\/p>\n\n\n\n
![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.classmates.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/1988-Yearbook-1-1024x646.jpg\")
<\/figure>\n\n\n\nExample shown for demonstration purposes; actual results may vary.<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n
If that\u2019s the school and year you\u2019re looking for, click on it! If not, refine your search to see if other yearbooks featuring the student you\u2019re searching for are in the collection. You can do so by changing up what you have written in the search bar, or by narrowing the results by filtering by state and decade. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
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- View the Yearbook in Grid Format for Free (& Upgrade to CM+ to View It in Full)<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n\n\n\n
Once you arrive at the yearbook, you can see some of the pages for free. To view it in full, you can upgrade to a Classmates+ membership<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
![\"Classmates](\"https:\/\/www.classmates.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/image-5-1024x535.png\")
<\/figure>\n\n\n\nSee this yearbook page here: <\/em>https:\/\/www.classmates.com\/siteui\/yearbooks\/147576?page=5<\/em><\/a> <\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n
From there, you\u2019ll be able to explore senior portraits, candid classroom shots, and even your own faculty photos for a serious trip down memory lane. In the left hand corner, you can select \u201cWho\u2019s in this book?\u201d to look up other registered members by name alphabetically. Or search for specific phrases\/words by selecting \u201cSearch this Yearbook.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Thinking you\u2019d like a copy for yourself or to give as a gift to an old student? You can order a yearbook reprint<\/a>* by selecting \u201cOwn this yearbook today\u201d in the upper left hand corner. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
Bonus: Message Other Teachers Too<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
The other teachers played just as much of a role in your life experience as the students! Whether you want to search for and message old coworkers or your old teachers from when you were a student yourself, if they are registered on the site and have a profile or featured yearbooks in the historical archive<\/a>, you can search for them directly to send messages or find their old school photos too.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
If you know where they went to high school, search their name + high school in the search bar on the upper right hand side of the Classmates homepage. Here\u2019s a helpful resource for Searching for Teachers<\/a>. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
You can shoot a message to anyone that’s a registered user across the entire U.S. <\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n
More Ways to Find Old Students<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
Beyond Classmates\u2019 person and yearbook search<\/a>, there are other ways to search for old students.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Here are more tips for finding them:<\/p>\n\n\n\n
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- Reach out to mutual connections: <\/strong>Other teachers might have run into or heard from old students. Or maybe you know their relatives in town. Inquiring directly with people you know can get you an update on old students’ lives and maybe even some contact information!<\/li>\n\n\n\n
- Attend their high school reunion: <\/strong>class reunions happen every 5 to 10 years<\/a>. Since you were such a beloved teacher, your old students would likely love to have you make a guest appearance. The reunion planner<\/a> may have used Classmates as the official class reunion website. You can reach out to old alumni about the event using Classmates. <\/li>\n\n\n\n
- Search on Google: <\/strong>try various searches to find information and contact info for an old student. Try searching by their name or name + town + state (e.g. \u201cjohn smith middletown nj\u201d) to get details about their life.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n
Classmates: The Ultimate Student Finder Website<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
Classmates prides itself on being the largest alumni social media network for keeping school connections alive, with 90 million registered users and more than 480,000 yearbooks. By joining as a teacher, you can play a key role in the preservation of school history that Classmates is committed to<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
- Attend their high school reunion: <\/strong>class reunions happen every 5 to 10 years<\/a>. Since you were such a beloved teacher, your old students would likely love to have you make a guest appearance. The reunion planner<\/a> may have used Classmates as the official class reunion website. You can reach out to old alumni about the event using Classmates. <\/li>\n\n\n\n
- Reach out to mutual connections: <\/strong>Other teachers might have run into or heard from old students. Or maybe you know their relatives in town. Inquiring directly with people you know can get you an update on old students’ lives and maybe even some contact information!<\/li>\n\n\n\n
- View the Yearbook in Grid Format for Free (& Upgrade to CM+ to View It in Full)<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n\n\n\n
- If It\u2019s Available, Click on the Yearbook<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n\n\n\n
- Start with a Yearbook Search<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n\n\n\n
- [Name + Town Name + State]<\/strong> – John Smith Middletown New Jersey<\/li>\n\n\n\n
- [Name] – John Smith<\/strong><\/li>\n\n\n\n
- Last name (for women, use your <\/strong>maiden name<\/strong><\/a> from high school)<\/strong><\/li>\n\n\n\n
- First name<\/strong><\/li>\n\n\n\n