Upon the film's release on August 17, 2007, it broke a plethora of viewership records as it became the most commercially successful Disney Channel Original Movie (DCOM) ever produced.

[3][4][5] The film's soundtrack enjoyed widespread success; it was certified double platinum in its first week as it debuted at number one in the United States, with its lead single "What Time Is It?"

Wildcats captain Troy Bolton, still dating Gabriella Montez following their lead roles in the school's winter musical,[a] is desperately looking for a summer job to help pay for college.

Sharpay Evans, still bitter about the musical and hoping to get Troy for herself, directs Mr. Fulton, the manager of her family's country club Lava Springs, to hire him.

Troy and Gabriella's composer friend Kelsi Nielsen writes a song called "You Are the Music in Me" for them to sing at the club's upcoming talent show.

Troy is further promoted, granted access to the club's facilities, and given the chance to play with the University of Albuquerque basketball team, and reluctantly accepts Sharpay's invitation to sing in the talent show.

The Wildcats go to the golf course to enjoy the fireworks ("You Are the Music In Me (Reprise)"), Troy and Gabriella finally successfully kiss, and everyone at Lava Springs celebrates the end of summer with a pool party the next day ("All for One").

Additionally, Alyson Reed reprises her role from the first film as Ms. Darbus, as do Chris Warren Jr., Ryne Sanborn, Olesya Rulin, and Kaycee Stroh as students Zeke Baylor, Jason Cross, Kelsi Nielsen, and Martha Cox, respectively.

The premiere of High School Musical 2 aired at 8 PM Eastern Time on August 17, 2007, and included a telecast hosted by Kenny Ortega and the movie's cast.

On Saturday, August 18, Disney Channel aired "High School Musical 2: Wildcat Chat", in which the stars of the movie answered questions posed by fans.

[4] This number made it, at the time, the most-watched basic-cable telecast in history (the previous record was held by an edition of ESPN's Monday Night Football between the New York Giants and the Dallas Cowboys on October 23, 2006, which attracted 16 million viewers), the most-watched made-for-cable movie ever (the previous record was held by TNT's January 21, 2001, airing of Crossfire Trail, which brought in 12.5 million viewers), and the largest audience of any program on broadcast or cable in the 2007 summer television season, along with Friday nights for the past five years.

The website's critics consensus reads, "Surprisingly better than its predecessor, High School Musical 2 returns to enchant tweens with its snappy songs, wicked dance moves, and peppy spirit.

[15] USA Today's Robert Bianco awarded the film three stars out of four, saying High School Musical 2 was "sweet, smart, bursting with talent and energy, and awash in innocence".