A group of Year 12 students from a prestigious school in Adelaide's eastern suburbs has been banned from attending their graduation after taking 'muck-up day' pranks too far.

Key points: Marryatville High School was vandalised by students in the early hours of Friday morning.

Marryatville High School was vandalised by students in the early hours of Friday morning. Sixteen students have been banned from attending their graduation ceremony

Sixteen students have been banned from attending their graduation ceremony A petition has been launched online calling for the decision to be overturned

Greg Petherick from South Australia's Department for Education told ABC Radio Adelaide that 16 students had vandalised Marryatville High School in the early hours of Friday morning.

"We not only had bins overturned, we had lockers emptied, toilet paper strewn, duct tape on walls, glad wrap on lockers, spray-paint on the cricket pitch [and] superglue on external locks," he said.

"Not a good sight at all, very disruptive, very intentional and as a result the school has taken decisive action."

According to a student at the school, the vandalism also included tables being burnt and rubbish being emptied from all of the school's bins.

Mr Petherick said the school's principal had "taken an appropriate course of action" and the students would not be allowed to attend their graduation ceremony tonight.

"It's clear that despite all of the warnings and notices that were provided to students in the weeks leading up to the finishing of school that 16 students chose to ignore that and wilfully not only trespass but vandalise the school," he said.

Mr Petherick said police had been involved, but that charges were not going to be laid.

"The school — in its compassion of dealing with these students — is not choosing to follow a legal course of action," he said.

"It is still wanting to enforce consequences around this behaviour and to send a strong message to the other 265 Year 12 students who are graduating Monday evening that this behaviour won't be tolerated."

Mr Petherick said it was common for schools to employ security guards in an attempt to deter students from muck-up day pranks.

"Schools want to make this a joyous time and a happy time and really do not want to see this sort of behaviour," he said.

"It's unfortunate that, from time to time in different schools, this does happen."

Online petition calls for decision to be overturned

A petition has been launched online calling on the principal to let "the boys" attend the graduate ceremony.

The author of the petition, who is a Marryatville student, has written that the majority of the students involved were "basically innocent".

"Students who we have watched turn into amazing young adults in the past five years have had their once-off (sic) moment taken away from them," she wrote.

The petition has so far attracted more than 1,000 signatures. ( change.org )

According to the author, two of the students "burnt tables, poured trash out of every can in the school and glued doors shut".

"We don't blame the school for suspending them. That's just foul," she wrote.

"[The] others involved were basically innocent. Many of them are extremely high academic achievers and were meant to be receiving awards at graduation for their efforts this year."

The petition has so far attracted more than 1,000 signatures.

The students have also been banned from attending a Year 12 breakfast on Tuesday morning.