Notebooks, binders, pencils, a laptop computer. New clothes, new backpack, maybe a fresh pair of kicks. The shopping list for back-to-school items is typically exciting for kids, a sure sign that summer is over and a new year is at hand.
But for parents, the list can stir up other feelings: anxiety, dread, and sticker shock at the escalating price tag.
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Just ask Martika Simon, a New York City resident, pastry chef, and mother of two, recovering from sticker shock after a shopping trip for her toddler, who is headed to preschool.
“I literally spent over $500 on a 3-year-old to start school,” says Simon, 33. That includes food for her daughter’s lunchbox “because my child is picky, so she’s not eating the school lunch.”
Once a fun and annual tradition for K-12 students and their families, back-to-school shopping has become more of a financial burden on teachers and families. Inflation and retail supply-chain problems — coupled with school districts that stopped providing what teachers say are classroom necessities — have driven the average price tag to a total that’s closer to a mortgage payment than a yearly expense.
With the list of necessities seeming to expand every year, some families and teachers have turned to crowdfunding on sites like GoFundMe and Donors Choose to buy construction paper, disinfectant wipes, notebooks, and pencils.
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According to the National Retail Federation, families with children in elementary up to high school are expected to spend an average of $875 this year on clothing, shoes, school supplies, and electronics. The average is lower than last year’s record of $890, but it is nearly a $200 increase per family since 2019.
Why Does Back-to-School Shopping Cost So Much?
Experts say the price of school supplies began rising in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic, which disrupted supply chains. While retailers have largely recovered, inflation has helped keep prices high, making the school supply shopping trip problematic for low-income Black and Brown households.
At the same time, schools require more technology in the classroom, including computers. Since districts introduced remote learning to K-12 students, the technological disadvantages that some students face have become clear, and schools now require students to have some sort of tablet or computer at home.
A Lack of Resources Impacts Everyone
Becky Pringle, president of the National Education Association, is also a grandmother to public school students. Both roles have given her a unique perspective on the rising cost of back-to-school shopping — and the effect it can have on students and families who can’t afford to pay for it.
“The impact is not only on the child; it’s on the classroom, it’s on the school, it’s on the parents, and it’s on the community,” Pringle says. She notes that while parents at more affluent schools typically don’t struggle to buy extra classroom supplies, low-income families whose children attend poor or underfunded schools struggle to fill the gap between what teachers need and what their districts provide.
“As you unpack it, there are so many inequities and disparities that are built in reality with back to school,” she says. “While (teachers) say (classroom supplies) are not mandatory, I just want you to imagine what that feels like as a parent to not be able to provide those things that they know their child needs in that classroom.”
To avoid that tension, states like California have banned schools from sending home school supply lists for classrooms. But in other places like New York City, teachers now more than ever depend on parents to fill the holes.
That seemed to be very much on Simon’s mind: she purchased extra things for teachers at her daughter’s school, a specialized program for children with developmental difficulties.
“Fruits, a little cookie or chips, food, and some juice,” she says. “No lie: it adds up. I already have to go back to BJ’s to shop to get her snacks in bulk,” Simon says. “When you write this I will send it to her teachers because they really do need money. This is so sad.”
Ways to Get Around the Hefty Cost
Look around your neighborhood for local organizations or individuals hosting back-to-school events for families. Free or low-cost school supply drives, haircuts, and other community resources like dental and medical care are usually available if you look in the right places.
Social media and the internet are also good resources for free supplies. Banks or other institutions also host back-to-school events.
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