Who is the richest High School Musical star? Net worths, ranked – from Zac Efron’s Baywatch transformation to Vanessa Hudgens’ skincare brand with Madison Beer, and remember Miley Cyrus’ cameo?

Or so we thought until over a decade later, when Disney’s High School Musical: The Musical: The Series aka HSMTMTS came out in 2019, sending nostalgic fans into a frenzy. Two seasons later, the television series is going strong in carrying the name cemented in many of our hearts, while also attracting many new fans, particularly Gen Zs. Breakout stars include Olivia Rodrigo, who has already expanded her talents outside the show with some Grammy-worthy music. (Do we see a young Hudgens in her?)

As we anticipate the release of its third season this year, we unveil who’s the richest Wildcat from the OG Disney films …

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1. Zac Efron (aka Troy Bolton): US$25 million

The 2000s heartthrob has come a long way since he starred as the lead character and love interest of HSM. Yet despite his fame from the trilogy, according to The List, reports and interviews indicate that he wasn’t really a fan of the role and hasn’t looked back since.

And thus Troy Bolton became old news when the handsome star made headlines for his hunky transformation in Baywatch. His US$25 million net worth, as reported on Wealthy Gorilla, also stems from landing gigs in Hairspray, 17 Again, Neighbors and as serial killer Ted Bundy in Extremely Wicked, Shockingly Evil and Vile. He co-owns a film-production company, Ninjas Runnin’ Wild, under Warner Bros, which produced That Awkward Moment and travel show Down to Earth with Zac Efron, which is on Netflix.

2. Vanessa Hudgens (aka Gabriella Montez): US$18 million

The “Coachella queen” and Efron’s ex-girlfriend also started her acting career with Disney. During her tenure with the film series, she released two albums, “V” and “Identified”, which both made it on the Billboard charts, and although she’s not pursued any more albums since 2008, she did contribute her voice to Louder Than Words, a single with Andrew Garfield and Joshua Henry in the award-winning film she starred in, Tick, Tick … Boom. Other popular films she’s been in include Zack Snyder’s Sucker Punch, Spring Breakers alongside Selena Gomez, and Netflix’s The Princess Switch.

Aside from her acting gigs, Hudgens has performed on Broadway, designed her own activewear line, and according to Women’s Health Mag, has enjoyed lucrative endorsements from Neutrogena to Colgate and much more. In 2021, she launched Know, a skincare brand with fellow singer Madison Beer. That, with the gorgeous US$6.7 million Hollywood home she sold earlier this year, according to Dirt, all total up nicely to her US$18 million fortune, as reported on Celebrity Net Worth.

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3. Ashley Tisdale (aka Sharpay Evans): US$14 million

Despite Sharpay’s narcissistic and conniving character arc in the films, there’s something irresistibly likeable about her – probably thanks to the actress who played her, Ashley Tisdale. Besides HSM, the Disney star was a regular on The Suite Life of Zack & Cody.

Also dabbling in music, Tisdale has released a couple of hit songs since she became famous – her most recent single came out in 2020. She’s also an entrepreneur with her own wellness brand, interior design company and previously a skincare label (now defunct). Plus, her 14.5 million cult fan base on Instagram lends opportunities for some lucrative endorsements, making for a net worth of US$14 million, according to Celebrity Net Worth.

4. Corbin Bleu (aka Chad Danforth): US$4 million

The actor behind Troy’s charismatic bestie from the films, Corbin Bleu stands at US$4 million in earnings as of 2022, according to Married Biography. Though he is best known for his role in the franchise, Bleu has made some cameo appearances and played roles in a few films over the years, and has progressed a massive fan base of over 800,000 on Instagram.

Plus, to fans’ delight, he’ll be making a return to the franchise in the upcoming third season with the newer cast.

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5. Bart Johnson (aka Coach Bolton): US$3 million

Playing Troy’s dad in the original film, Bart Johnson earned most of his wealth – US$3 million, according to Popular Net Worth – through the trilogy, and some films and television series he starred in after – which looks to be a lot according to his IMDB.

6. Monique Coleman (aka Taylor McKessie): US$2 million

Worth US$2 million according to Celebrity Net Worth, Coleman starred on Disney’s The Suite Life of Zack & Cody as well as ABC’s Dancing with the Stars, but otherwise lives a relatively low profile with her husband.

7. Olesya Rulin (aka Kelsi Nielsen): US$1 million

The Russian-American actress starred in all three films as the pianist. Although most fans remember her for her role as Kelsi Nielsen, she’s also starred in several other films and television series, and has made cameos for big titles like NCIS: Los Angeles and Family Guy. Her net worth stands at US$1 million, according to Celebrity Net Worth.

8. Chris Warren (aka Zeke Baylor): US$500,000

A supporting character to Efron and fellow basketball player at East High, Warren’s role as Zeke has helped him rake in a net worth of US$500,000, according to Idol Net Worth. The actor stars in Tyler Perry’s Sistas, a television series that has helped earn him respect outside the Disney franchise.

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Special mention – Miley Cyrus (cameo in High School Musical 2): US$160 million

Though Cyrus wasn’t a main character by any means, having only a brief cameo in the entire trilogy, we thought we’d give the Hannah Montana star a mention. She features for a few seconds in the final song of High School Musical 2 and she even retweeted a fan’s posting of the scene. Coming out with a whopping US$160 million, Cyrus has countless film gigs, albums and endorsements under her belt and stepped out of Disney very, very rich.