Best Magic School Books and Series: Beyond Hogwarts
June 7, 2026
There’s a reason the magic school never goes out of style: it’s the perfect fantasy setting — found family, rivalries, mentors, forbidden knowledge, and a structure every reader recognises. If you’ve outgrown Hogwarts and want more, here are the best magic school books and series.
The deadly-school standout
The Scholomance — Naomi Novik A Deadly Education begins at a magic school with no teachers, no graduation ceremony, and monsters in the vents — survival is the curriculum. Sharp, witty, and wholly original. Browse Naomi Novik →
The grown-up magic school
Ninth House — Leigh Bardugo Yale’s secret societies practise real magic, and someone has to police them. Dark, gritty, and adult — magic school by way of a crime novel. See the Alex Stern reading order →
The Magicians — Lev Grossman “Harry Potter for adults” — a disillusioned prodigy at a secret American college of magic. Cynical, literary, and influential (and the basis for the TV series).
The literary and the classic
A Wizard of Earthsea — Ursula K. Le Guin The foundational magic-school fantasy: a gifted, prideful boy at a school for wizards. Spare, wise, and timeless.
Babel — R.F. Kuang Oxford, translation, and magic powered by language — a darker, angrier take. See our best dark academia books →.
The cosy and the YA
Spellslinger — Sebastien de Castell and The Will of the Many — James Islington offer fresh, addictive takes on academies and trials for readers who want pace and stakes.
Why we love it
The magic school externalises growing up: learning who you are, finding your people, and discovering that the institution you trusted has secrets of its own. It’s comfort and danger in one setting.
Where to start
For something fresh and deadly, A Deadly Education. For adult and dark, Ninth House. Still craving Hogwarts specifically? See What to Read After Harry Potter →.