Overview
- A new GMA/Ipsos poll finds parents expect to spend about $885 per child on back-to-school items and that 68% say the items they normally buy are more expensive than last year.
- The poll breaks down average spending as $337 for after-school activities, $275 for clothing and shoes, $118 for school supplies, $102 for technology, and $52 for books.
- Industry surveys show somewhat different headline numbers—NRF forecasts roughly $863 per student while a PwC estimate cited in opinion coverage put school-supply spending near $922—because each measure counts different items.
- Families are coping by shopping early, using sales and tax holidays, buying used uniforms and supplies, and in some cases relying on credit or buy-now-pay-later plans to cover costs.
- Analysts and nonprofits point to higher import tariffs, rising shipping and fuel costs, and cuts to food-assistance eligibility as drivers of price pressure and uneven burdens across households.