Season synopsis
Contains spoilers for this season and earlier seasons.
Now billed as Hannah Montana: Forever, the final season begins with the Stewarts settling into the Malibu ranch Robby bought after Miley’s homesickness for Tennessee. Miley and Lilly find that growing older does not make their friendship effortless, while Jackson starts a relationship with neighbor Siena. Miley’s romance with Jake ends when Oliver brings evidence that Jake has cheated; she later dates Jesse, who learns her identity and becomes her guitarist. Miley still tries to keep her public career from swallowing the life she wants with friends and family.
That balance breaks when Miley’s college application shows how much her secret has hidden from the outside world. She does not get into Stanford because her accomplishments as Hannah cannot count as Miley’s extracurricular activities. Lilly offers to wait a year, and Miley sees how often people close to her have had to adjust their lives around the disguise. She returns to television, takes off the wig and tells the public that she is Hannah Montana, then begins facing the attention and criticism that follow. From that point, she chooses to live openly as Miley.
The series finale gives Miley and Lilly a choice about what comes after graduation. Miley receives a year-long Paris movie offer and hides it because she thinks it will cost her the chance to attend Stanford with Lilly. When the truth causes a painful argument, Miley first asks Lilly to go to Paris, but Lilly decides she wants college even if they must separate. Miley changes her mind about the film and surprises Lilly in her dorm as her new roommate. Rico finds Jackson a video-game tester job, and Jackson and Siena exchange thoughtful gifts.