2025 Back-to-School Shoppers Cite Higher Prices and Tariff Concerns
Tracy Lehr
SANTA BARBARA, Calif. – Many school districts start classes well before Labor Day these days, and that means back-to-school shopping is already in full swing.
Many back-to-school essentials — including backpacks, pens, and notebooks — are imported, and some shoppers are concerned they will be picking up the tab if tariffs drive prices higher. For products made in China, Section 301 tariffs can add to the landed cost, which may be reflected in retail prices.
Business analysts say that’s one reason some families start shopping earlier than usual, hoping to beat tariff-influenced pricing before August. Those who waited are now taking advantage of seasonal sales at stores like Office Max.
One family found backpacks on sale and decided to act fast.“You know what, today I feel like they have good sales overall, but definitely I could see the impact of the tariffs because I have been here when it is not on sale and I feel like the prices are a little higher for sure,” said Edith Woolfolk. Her biggest purchase — a backpack — came alongside smaller items. “Erasers and mechanical pencils,” added her daughter Kalia. Another daughter, Sofia, said, “We start next week for school and I still needed a new backpack.” When asked what she chose, she replied, “I just got this blue backpack.”
Many stores now have printed supply lists for kindergarten, grade school, middle, and high school to guide shoppers. At the same time, high school and college students are focusing on clothing before classes begin. At Tilly’s, PacSun, and Brandy Melville, shoppers were browsing jeans, shirts, and shoes. “I got some jeans and two pairs of shirts and shoes,” said Kalea Gilbert.
Some students are waiting to complete their supply lists until after the first week. “I got some school supplies, but I mean later on I’ll get more notebooks and figure out whatever I need after I get my syllabuses and stuff like that and get more supplies along the way,” said Zack Martin.
Compared to last year, shoppers are paying noticeably more: a typical school supply list now costs about $5 more than it did in 2024, and prices for specific basics like binders have jumped from $1 to $1.50 in 2025 — an increase of 50 cents per item. Overall, school supply prices have surged 30 % over the past five years.
National retail data backs up what shoppers are seeing in stores. Coresight Research expects back-to-school shopping to be up more than 3.3 % this year. The National Retail Federation predicts Americans will spend more than $128 billion on back-to-school purchases across supplies, clothing, and electronics — making education good for business. Of that, the average household will spend about $144 on school supplies alone, with total K-12 spending per household approaching $858.
Analysts say families who shopped before August likely avoided some extra costs, especially on tariff-affected items.