- More families started shopping in early July than in the past seven years. Tariffs and inflation are accused of behavioral shifts. This year, average spending per student will drop, but the total is expected to rise slightly.
Reading and “rereading” are still important, but as the 2025-26 school year approaches, parents are paying more attention to the third-rithmetic.
With the imminent tariffs and some (Although not all) Retailers warn that prices will surely rise, especially when shopping starts to return to school early this year. this National Retail Federation It was noted that in early July, more than two-thirds of households began buying pencils, pens, paper and folders.
About 67% of households started early this year, compared with 55% last year. That was the largest number in the early days Back to school shoppers As NRF began tracking this category in 2018. It all comes down to price.
“Consumers are taking care of the potential impact of tariffs and inflation on back-to-school programs and are turning to early shopping, discount stores and summer sales to save school essentials,” said Katherine Cullen, vice president of industrial and consumer insights at NRF. “When shoppers look for the best deals on clothing, notebooks and other school-related goods, retailers are highly focused on affordability to make the shopping experience as seamless as possible.”
Consider this 67% statistic: In 2019, only 44% of parents began looking for early school supplies and clothing. It is worth noting that most schools have not yet released a list of what projects are needed at that time of year.
Through the high school student program, the average spending of $858.07 on clothing, shoes, school supplies and electronics this year. That’s more than the $874.68 they spent in 2024.
However, overall spending is expected to be higher as more consumers buy consumables, rising from $38.8 billion to $39.4 billion. However, this does not extend to low-income households. The NRF said these families are retreating in all back-school spending categories due to economic uncertainty.
