Back to School Shopping Guide
Back to school isn’t really one shopping season, it’s 2 genuinely separate ones running at the same time. K-12 families and college families spend on almost entirely different scales and categories, and treating them as a single undifferentiated event misses real, distinct savings opportunities in each, from tax free weekends that mostly benefit K-12 categories to the secondhand and thrift options increasingly popular with college aged shoppers specifically.
This guide covers both markets with real spending data, how state tax free weekends actually work, and when to shop for the best combination of selection and price. Current Back to School offers are always live on CouponZania.
- K-12 and college back to school spending are genuinely separate markets. Combined US spending hit a record $146.8 billion at the most recently completed season, split between $43.3 billion for K-12 and $103.5 billion for college, the first time college spending crossed $100 billion.
- Electronics lead K-12 spending by category, an average $293.11 per household, ahead of clothing, shoes, and school supplies.
- Roughly 20 US states run a sales tax free weekend each year, typically clustered from mid July through August, though exact dates and exempt items vary by state.
- Most shoppers start well before the tax free weekend actually lands. A majority get a head start on the season rather than waiting for that specific window.
- 5 states don’t need a tax free weekend at all, they don’t charge sales tax in the first place, and a few states with sales tax choose not to offer one regardless.
2 Genuinely Different Markets Under One Name
K-12 back to school spending reached $43.3 billion at the most recently completed season, a record, up from $39.4 billion the year before and surpassing the previous high of $41.5 billion set 2 years prior. College spending crossed $100 billion for the first time in the same season, $103.5 billion, up from $88.8 billion, meaning college spending alone now exceeds the entire combined back to school market from just a few years earlier.
US back to school spending by market, most recently completed season, combined total $146.8 billion. National Retail Federation.
College spending being more than double K-12 spending genuinely surprises a lot of people, dorm furnishing, laptops, and higher priced electronics all push the college total well past what a typical K-12 family spends per student. The average college household spent $1,325.85 in the most recently completed season.
| College Category | Total Market Spend | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Electronics | $20.7B | 23.3% |
| Dorm and apartment furnishings | $12.8B | 14.4% |
| Clothing | $11.1B | 12.5% |
| Food | $9.4B | 10.6% |
| Personal care | $7.9B | — |
| Shoes | $7.5B | — |
| Gift cards | $7.0B | — |
| School supplies | $6.2B | — |
| Collegiate branded gear | $6.1B | — |
Back to college spending by category, most recently completed season. National Retail Federation survey data.
Where K-12 Families Actually Spend
| Category | Average Per Household | Total Market Spend |
|---|---|---|
| Electronics and computer supplies | $293.11 | $14.7B |
| Clothing and accessories | $250.29 | $12.5B |
| Shoes | $174.01 | $8.7B |
| School supplies | $146.45 | $7.3B |
K-12 back to school spending by category, most recently completed season. National Retail Federation survey data.
Where People Actually Shop
Where consumers shop for back to school items, multiple choice survey. Checked August 2026.
Most shoppers use more than one channel rather than picking a single destination, 81% plan to split spending between online and in store purchases specifically. Online leads as the single most common individual channel, but department and discount stores together still capture the majority of foot traffic.
Why Prices Actually Feel Higher This Year
It’s not just a feeling, back to school costs have genuinely risen faster than general inflation recently, everyday items running roughly 8% higher year over year, an average $175 more per family. School supplies specifically cost about 7.7% more, and typical school lunch items ran 10.9% higher.
Among shoppers who noticed higher prices, 59% attributed the increase to general inflation and 37% specifically cited tariffs. Clothing saw the most noticed price increases at 62%, followed by electronics and home goods tied at 61%, school supplies at 57%, and books at 54%.
The Rise of Secondhand Back to School Shopping
The US secondhand market reached $56 billion in the most recently measured year, up 14.3% year over year and up 143.5% since 2018, a real, sustained structural shift rather than a passing trend. Back to school season specifically sees a sharp rise in secondhand clothing activity each August, timing that lines up directly with when families are actively budgeting for the clothing category covered above.
Gen Z is driving a meaningful share of that growth, 83% have either bought secondhand apparel or say they’re interested in it, and 34% say they always check thrift stores first before buying new. For families managing the $250 plus average clothing budget covered above, secondhand shopping is a real, growing way to reduce that specific cost.
The Spending Gap Nobody Talks About: Teachers
Teachers spent an average of $895 out of pocket on classroom supplies during the most recently completed school year, up 49% since 2015. A separate measurement puts the figure closer to $655, the gap reflecting different survey methodologies, but both point the same direction, a real and rising personal cost teachers absorb themselves.
The median school supplied budget for supplies is just $200, and 97% of teachers say that budget doesn’t cover what they actually need. Across the whole profession, that gap adds up to roughly $3.2 billion a year in personal spending, and 20% of teachers now work a second job, up 25% since 2023, partly to cover costs like this, a real economic pressure that rarely gets mentioned alongside the family focused spending totals covered above.
How State Tax Free Weekends Actually Work
Roughly 20 US states run a sales tax free shopping window tied to back to school season, typically clustered from mid July through August, though exact dates shift every year and vary state by state. There’s no single national tax free weekend, each state sets its own dates independently, so a date that applied last year isn’t guaranteed to repeat exactly.
Exempt items typically include clothing, school supplies, backpacks, and computers, but price caps on what qualifies vary meaningfully by state, an item priced above a state’s cap may not actually qualify for the exemption even during the window. Some states run just a single weekend, others extend the exemption for a full week or even longer, so checking your own state’s specific rules directly matters more than assuming a neighboring state’s terms apply the same way.
Most Shoppers Start Earlier Than You’d Think
A majority of back to school shoppers get a head start on the season rather than waiting specifically for their state’s tax free weekend to arrive. That timing pattern means the tax free window functions more as one useful savings opportunity within a longer shopping period than as the single moment everyone waits for, and it’s become even more pronounced recently as shoppers try to get ahead of the price increases covered below.
How to Actually Shop Back to School Well
- Confirm your specific state’s tax free weekend dates directly, they shift every year and not every state runs one at all.
- Check the price cap on exempt items before assuming something qualifies, an item priced above your state’s cap may not get the exemption even during the window.
- Buy electronics with real research, not just during the tax free window, it’s the single biggest K-12 spending category, worth comparing prices across retailers rather than assuming tax savings alone means the best deal.
- College shoppers should budget separately from K-12 assumptions, the category mix and price points are genuinely different, dorm goods and higher end electronics push totals well past typical K-12 spending.
- Layer a stackable coupon code on top of any tax free or sale pricing where one exists, check current offers before checkout rather than assuming the listed price is final.
Frequently Asked Questions
How much do families actually spend on back to school shopping?
Combined US spending hit a record $146.8 billion at the most recently completed season, split between $43.3 billion for K-12 families and $103.5 billion for college, the first time college spending crossed $100 billion.
What category do K-12 families spend the most on?
Electronics and computer supplies, averaging $293.11 per household, ahead of clothing at $250.29, shoes at $174.01, and school supplies at $146.45. Electronics leads even though school supplies is the category most associated with back to school shopping.
Which states have a back to school tax free weekend?
Roughly 20 states run one, typically clustered from mid July through August, though exact dates and exempt items vary by state and change every year. There’s no single national date, each state sets its own independently.
Do all states offer a sales tax holiday?
No. 5 states, Oregon, Montana, Delaware, New Hampshire, and Alaska, don’t charge sales tax at all, so the concept doesn’t apply there. A few states that do charge sales tax, including California and New York, choose not to run a back to school tax holiday regardless.
Should I wait for the tax free weekend to start shopping?
Not entirely. A majority of shoppers get a head start on the season before their state’s tax free window even opens. Buying non seasonal basics early and saving tax exempt category purchases for the actual window tends to work better than waiting for one single moment.
Where do most people shop for back to school items?
Online leads as the single most common individual channel at 55%, ahead of department stores at 48%, discount stores at 47%, and clothing stores at 41%. Most shoppers use more than one channel, 81% plan to split spending between online and in store purchases.
Is secondhand back to school shopping actually common now?
Increasingly, yes. The US secondhand market reached $56 billion in the most recent measured year, up 143.5% since 2018, with Gen Z driving much of the growth, 83% have bought or are interested in secondhand apparel, and 34% say they always check thrift stores first.
How much do teachers actually spend on their own classroom supplies?
An average of $895 out of pocket during the most recently completed school year, per one survey, up 49% since 2015. The median school provided budget is just $200, and 97% of teachers say that budget doesn’t cover what they actually need.
What do college students actually spend the most on?
Electronics, $20.7 billion total, 23.3% of all back to college spending, ahead of dorm and apartment furnishings at $12.8 billion and clothing at $11.1 billion. The average college household spent $1,325.85 in the most recently completed season.
Why do back to school prices feel higher this year?
They genuinely are, everyday items ran roughly 8% higher year over year recently, an average $175 more per family. Among shoppers who noticed the increase, 59% blamed general inflation and 37% cited tariffs specifically, with clothing seeing the most noticed price jumps.
Are more families going into debt over back to school shopping?
A meaningful share, yes. 45% of parents said they plan to take on debt specifically to afford back to school shopping in the most recently surveyed year, a real financial pressure worth factoring into how aggressively you shop the tax free window and secondhand options.
Is electronics really the biggest back to school spending category for both K-12 and college?
Yes, for both markets, though at very different scales. K-12 families average $293.11 per household on electronics, while college electronics spending totals $20.7 billion market wide, 23.3% of the entire back to college budget, the single largest category in both cases.
