"School cliques" refers to small groups of students who hang out together and share similar interests or characteristics. They often form social circles or groups based on factors like hobbies, sports, academic interests, or shared backgrounds.
Screenwriters Liz Hannah and Josh Singer (The West Wing, Spotlight) also tug at the stuff under the rug, and the personal connections that make D.C. politics such a soap opera: There's a whole high school clique of clustered social relationships behind every move, with some layers so old and petrified, they are considered assumptions — because power assumes power is too much to lose. (ex-press.com)