Written by Brian Wilson, the lyrics express the narrator's newfound fascination with a girl after realizing "what a turn on" she is in school clothes.
It is one of the last original tracks the group recorded as a small ensemble rock band before entering their orchestral phase.
[1] According to author Keith Badman, this version of the song featured lyrics that were partly written by Roger Christian, a frequent writing collaborator of Brian Wilson's.
[1] Parts of the melody of "All Dressed Up for School" would be reused by Brian Wilson in "I Just Got My Pay", an outtake from 1970's Sunflower, which was released in 1993 on the box set.
[1] The chords in the opening a capella vocal passage would later show up in unreleased versions of "Heroes and Villains", and later in the 1980 single "Goin' On".