Back-to-School Shopping Now Costs Families Nearly $864

The National Retail Federation estimates that families with children in elementary through high school plan to spend an average of $863.86 on back-to-school purchases in 2026.

That figure includes more than notebooks and pencils. The average budget contains approximately $293 for electronics, $250 for clothing, $174 for shoes and $146 for school supplies.

The number is a household average, not a cost for each child, but it still shows how expensive simply getting children ready for school has become. Other surveys estimate spending between $489 and $557 per student, depending on what is counted and how the question is asked.

I have three children in elementary, middle and high school. Their needs are different, but everything arrives at once: clothes that no longer fit, shoes, backpacks, classroom supplies, activity costs and technology requirements.

I honestly do not know how families are supposed to absorb another expense approaching $1,000 while food, fuel, utilities and nearly everything else already cost more.

The sensible response is to reject the idea that everything must be new on the first day. Reuse what survived, purchase the required basics, wait for teachers to confirm the real classroom needs and add clothing over time. Almost half of families surveyed by the NRF say they are buying only the essentials initially and replenishing supplies later.

Back-to-school season should be about children returning to learn, not another annual financial emergency for their parents.

Read the National Retail Federation’s 2026 back-to-school report.