Overview
- A joint analysis from Groundwork Collaborative and The Century Foundation using NielsenIQ data released in late July found a typical school‑supply basket costs about 8% more than in 2025 while common packed‑lunch items are roughly 11% higher.
- Several individual items have surged far more than the averages with one‑subject notebooks up about 23%, index cards up about 22%, lunch boxes up roughly 27%, and sandwich bread up about 22%.
- Manufacturers and retailers have publicly pointed to stepped‑up U.S. import levies and higher energy and freight costs linked to renewed conflict with Iran as the principal reasons companies are raising prices.
- Surveys from Credit Karma, U.S. News and others show many parents are carrying credit card debt or plan to borrow for back‑to‑school shopping and are responding by delaying purchases, hunting sales, using buy‑now‑pay‑later plans, or relying on community drives.
- Policy changes are reducing household supports at a sensitive moment: the Center on Budget and Policy Priorities estimates about 1.5 million fewer children receive SNAP since July 2025, a shift that could worsen food access and school readiness for affected families.