A late July survey conducted by U.S. News found that 60 percent of parents had already begun back-to-school (BTS) shopping, and 62 percent expect to pay more for goods this year than they did last year. Eighty-five percent of surveyed respondents expressed concern about rising prices due to tariffs when considering the BTS shopping season.

Delving deeper into those concerns, the survey found that 40 percent of parents were “Slightly Concerned,” while 45 percent said they were “Very Concerned” about tariffs and their effects on pricing.

The survey found that 57 percent of respondents are cutting back on BTS shopping this year due to concerns about rising prices, with the top categories targeted for reductions being clothes and shoes, accessories, and technology.

Asked which back-to-school items parents are most stressed about purchasing, the top answer was clothing/shoes, cited by 55.3 percent; followed by technology, 41.1 percent; extracurricular fees, 30.9 percent; school supplies, 27.8 percent; accessories, 20.4 percent; and books, 18.1 percent.

The way most parents surveyed plan to make BTS shopping more manageable is by finding the best deals by shopping at multiple stores. About 64 percent said they would shop at different stores, versus 52 percent from last year. Of the roughly 25 percent who plan to buy secondhand items to help alleviate costs, thrift stores (73 percent) and Facebook Marketplace (59 percent) were the most popular places. Websites like OfferUp, Poshmark, and Back Market (47 percent), as well as Facebook groups (42 percent), followed closely behind.

Average BTS Spend

Last year, 52 percent of Americans planned to spend $101 to $300 per child when shopping for BTS, which included supplies, clothing, books, and electronics. In 2025, the number decreased to 41 percent, as respondents expected to pay more.

In 2024, only 7 percent of Americans expected to pay over $500 per child. This year, 13 percent expect to pay over $500 per child, with 3 percent expecting to pay over $750 per child. This is largely due to rising prices resulting from tariffs, according to U.S. News.

As for where respondents plan to shop for BTS items, approximately 38 percent said they will mainly shop at brick-and-mortar stores, 17 percent said they will shop mainly online, and 45 percent said they will shop at both.

Breaking down these preferences by age group, Gen Z parents favor shopping in-store far more than any other generation. Roughly 43 percent of Gen Z plan to shop mainly in-store, while 18 percent plan to shop mainly online. And about 36 percent said they plan to shop both online and in-store.

In contrast, Millennials showed slightly different patterns. About 38 percent said they plan to shop mainly in-store, and 14 percent said they will shop mainly online. About 47 percent said they will shop at both, indicating that Millennials are more willing to shop online than their Gen Z counterparts, according to the survey.

 Image courtesy Salvation Army Back-to-School / Charts courtesy U.S. News