Survey Finds More Than Half of Parents Are Having to Choose Between Groceries and School Supplies for Their Kids

The smell of sharpened pencils and the crisp promise of a new notebook once marked the start of a school year. For many parents today, that scent has been replaced by something far less tangible but just as sharp: anxiety. The checkout line that used to hold backpacks and crayons now comes with a gut-wrenching choice keep the fridge stocked or fill the supply list.

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According to new survey data, more than half of U.S. parents are making exactly that decision. It’s a modern paradox: in one of the wealthiest countries in the world, sending a child to school prepared can mean going without at home. And it’s not just about paper and pens anymore. Rising costs, shifting school expectations, and the social pressure of “must-have” items are driving back-to-school expenses to historic highs sometimes rivaling the cost of the holidays.

For millions of families, this season isn’t about fresh starts. It’s about survival strategies, trade-offs, and the quiet sacrifices made so children can step into the classroom with dignity.

The Scope of the Crisis

The numbers are stark and unyielding. A recent survey by Intuit Credit Karma reveals that 54% of parents with school-aged children are sacrificing groceries or other necessities to afford school supplies. For 39%, those supplies feel entirely out of reach a 5% increase from just last year. Nearly half of all parents (44%) expect to take on debt, relying on credit cards or “buy now, pay later” services simply to get their children through the school doors prepared.

For families already stretched thin, the price tag is staggering. The National Retail Federation estimates an average spend of $858.07 per child, with Deloitte placing it closer to $570 figures that escalate rapidly in households with multiple children. Compounding the pressure, costs for basic items have climbed steeply: since 2019, the average price of school supplies has risen by roughly 20%, while backpacks alone have surged by 30%.

And the demands don’t stop at the basics. Technology, clothing, and extracurricular activities are pushing the financial burden higher still. Parents aren’t just buying pencils and notebooks they’re expected to cover laptops, headphones, sports fees, and even classroom communal supplies that used to be provided by schools. Sixty-seven percent of parents say they feel more financially responsible for these expenses than in past years.

Hidden Costs Beyond Notebooks and Pencils

When most people picture back-to-school shopping, they imagine a cart loaded with spiral notebooks, pencils, and glue sticks. But for many families, those are just the visible tip of a much larger and more expensive iceberg. The real budget-breakers often sit outside the stationery aisle.

Clothing and accessories have overtaken traditional supplies as the largest expense for many households. Forty-one percent of parents report that apparel is where they’ll spend the most this season, driven in no small part by the influence of social media. Platforms like TikTok and Instagram have turned certain backpacks, sneakers, and even water bottles into must-have status symbols. Half of surveyed parents say their children ask for non-essential items they’ve seen online, and many admit saying “yes” out of fear their kids will be left out or singled out.

Technology is another major contributor to swelling costs. As classrooms integrate more digital learning tools, laptops, tablets, and noise-canceling headphones are becoming standard requirements rather than optional extras. While some districts provide devices, many expect families to supply them a financial commitment that can easily reach several hundred dollars per child.

Then there are the extracurricular costs, often invisible until they arrive in the form of sign-up sheets or participation fees. Sports, clubs, and after-school programs, vital for social development and engagement, can carry hefty price tags for uniforms, equipment, or entry costs. Nearly half of parents say these activities are now out of reach, while a third are willing to take on debt just to keep them within their child’s grasp. For working parents, losing access to affordable after-school care can mean reducing work hours or leaving jobs entirely, further straining household income.

Even food plays a role. Preparing for the school year often means stocking up on lunch items, snacks, and quick weeknight meals costs that climb in tandem with grocery prices. For families already cutting back on essentials, these recurring expenses deepen the financial squeeze.

The Emotional and Social Toll

Surveys show that 52% of parents worry their child could be left out or teased if they don’t have certain popular items, whether it’s a high-end water bottle, designer backpack, or trendy accessory making the rounds on social media. This fear often pushes parents to make purchases they can’t truly afford, prioritizing a sense of social belonging for their children over their own financial stability.

The impact is more than emotional it’s social and developmental. Research consistently links participation in extracurricular activities to improved academic outcomes, higher self-esteem, and stronger peer relationships. Yet 45% of parents say they can’t afford these programs, meaning some children miss out not just on enrichment, but on the friendships and experiences that help shape their confidence.

Psychologists warn that children are often perceptive about family finances, even when parents try to shield them from the details. A child who notices a parent’s stress at the checkout line or overhears conversations about bills can internalize feelings of worry or self-blame. At the same time, parents themselves can experience heightened anxiety, especially those who already feel stretched thin balancing work, childcare, and household needs.

The toll isn’t limited to moments in the store or at home it can ripple through a child’s school experience. Arriving without certain supplies or attire can subtly influence how they engage with peers, participate in class, or see themselves in comparison to others. In this way, the back-to-school financial burden isn’t just an economic challenge it’s a psychological one, shaping how families experience the school year long after the shopping is done.

Why This Problem Keeps Growing

The annual struggle over school supplies isn’t simply the result of one bad year or a temporary spike in prices it’s the outcome of deeper, long-standing shifts in the economy, education funding, and consumer culture.

Rising costs outpacing wages
While inflation has cooled from its recent highs, the prices of school-related goods remain stubbornly elevated. Between 2019 and 2025, the cost of core school supplies rose by about 20%, with backpacks alone climbing 30%. Wages for many working- and middle-class families have not kept pace, widening the gap between household income and the basic cost of preparing a child for school.
Shifting financial burdens from schools to parents
Budget cuts, resource shortages, and shifting priorities have moved many expenses once shouldered by schools onto families. Today, parents are often expected to purchase not only individual items for their children but also communal supplies like cleaning products, art materials, and paper for the whole class. Two-thirds of parents (67%) say they feel a heavier financial responsibility for school preparation than in previous years.
Tariffs and trade policies keeping prices high
Tariffs on imported goods, especially those affecting consumer products, have kept retail prices from dropping even as global shipping costs have stabilized. The uncertainty surrounding potential tariff increases prompts both parents and retailers to buy early often before the best sales driving up the overall spend.
The cultural cost of “fitting in”
Social media, peer influence, and targeted marketing have created new layers of pressure. The push to have the “right” sneakers, backpacks, or tech devices transforms certain items into markers of belonging. Half of parents say their children request items they’ve seen online, and many admit stretching their budgets to fulfill those requests even when they aren’t essential for learning.
Wider economic strain on households
Back-to-school season doesn’t happen in a vacuum. By late summer, many families are already recovering from childcare costs during school breaks, higher summer utility bills, and year-round increases in housing and groceries. This means that August’s concentrated burst of expenses often collides with an already depleted budget, forcing trade-offs that no parent should have to make.

How Families Are Coping

Faced with rising costs and unyielding supply lists, parents are stretching every dollar with a mix of old-fashioned frugality and modern ingenuity. These strategies don’t erase the financial strain, but they help keep children equipped without sinking families deeper into debt.

Timing purchases for maximum savings
Many parents have turned shopping into a long game. Instead of buying everything at once during peak “back-to-school season” pricing, families wait for sales events like Amazon Prime Day, late-summer clearance racks, or post–school-start markdowns. This staggered approach can mean using last year’s backpack for the first few weeks, then replacing it when prices drop an intentional delay that adds up to meaningful savings.
Hunting for bargains and secondhand treasures
Discount retailers, thrift stores, and online resale platforms are playing a bigger role than ever. Parents scour thrift shops for gently used clothing, browse local swap events for school uniforms, and repurpose older children’s items for younger siblings. Some even coordinate with neighbors or friends to bulk-buy certain supplies, splitting the cost and saving on per-item prices.

Comparison shopping and brand flexibility
The loyalty to specific brands is giving way to pragmatism. Surveys show 73% of parents compare prices across stores before buying, and many are willing to switch to generic or store-brand versions of everything from crayons to sneakers. Price-tracking apps and browser extensions for coupons or cashback offers have become essential tools for those purchasing big-ticket items like laptops or tablets.
Creative reuse and prioritization
Parents are combing through closets and storage bins before stepping foot in a store, salvaging binders, rulers, and other supplies from previous years. Clothing purchases are being delayed until truly needed like waiting for cooler weather before buying jackets or boots. This helps spread expenses over several months rather than absorbing them all in August.
Turning shopping into a teaching moment
For some families, financial pressure has become an opportunity for practical lessons. Parents are involving children in price comparisons, discussing the difference between “needs” and “wants,” and encouraging older kids to contribute toward special items by saving allowance or doing extra chores. These conversations not only manage expectations in the short term but also help children build financial literacy for the future.

Community and Policy Responses

Back-to-school drives, often organized by churches, neighborhood groups, or nonprofits, have become annual lifelines for low- and middle-income families. These efforts supply essentials ranging from backpacks to calculators, sometimes tailored to the needs of specific schools. In many towns, “stuff the bus” events invite residents to fill school buses with donated supplies, ensuring that students arrive prepared on day one.

Some school districts have started purchasing core supplies in bulk and distributing them directly to students eliminating both the cost and the guesswork for parents. Others maintain “supply closets” stocked through donations, allowing teachers to discreetly provide needed items throughout the year without singling out students whose families are struggling

Retailers are partnering with nonprofits or matching customer donations at checkout to multiply impact. Meanwhile, some employers are hosting in-office donation drives or offering small stipends to help employees cover educational expenses, acknowledging that a financially secure workforce benefits everyone.

Advocates are calling for stronger public investment in K–12 education, including funding that ensures classrooms are stocked without relying on parent contributions. This push also extends to policies that address the upstream drivers of the crisis: livable wages, affordable childcare, and limits on shifting supply costs from schools to households. Some communities are pressing for transparency in how school lists are created and for caps on non-essential items being required.

While these efforts are encouraging, they remain patchwork solutions to a widespread challenge. The most sustainable relief will come from systems educational, economic, and social that ensure no family has to choose between filling the pantry and filling a backpack.

Building a Future Without Sacrifice

The statistics are sobering, and the stories behind them are even heavier: parents pulling extra shifts, skipping meals, or sinking into debt just so their children can walk into school with dignity. But this reality doesn’t have to be permanent. Change is possible and it starts with how we show up for each other and what we demand from the systems that shape our children’s education.

At home, it means talking openly with kids about needs versus wants, the value of money, and gratitude for what they have. In our communities, it means contributing to local supply drives, sharing hand-me-downs, volunteering time, or helping organize fundraisers for schools in need. And beyond our neighborhoods, it means raising our voices urging school boards, local leaders, and policymakers to address the growing gap between what’s expected of families and what they can afford.

A child’s education should never come at the cost of a parent’s health, dignity, or ability to put food on the table. If we want the next generation to thrive, we must build systems that make it possible for every student to start the year equipped, confident, and ready to learn not weighed down by the invisible cost of financial sacrifice.

The smell of fresh pencils and the hope of a new school year should be universal not a privilege. We have the power to make that true.