Nearly three-quarters of consumers who plan to shop for back-to-school product expect to spend the same amount or more this year than they did in 2024 despite mounting economic pressure, according to PwC’s 2025 Back-to-School Survey of nearly 1,200 parents. More than one in three parents anticipate spending more than the amount they spent last year.

PwC said in the report, “Even as U.S. tariffs are one of the key factors driving up prices on imported goods like electronics and apparel, and recent shipping disruptions from China created some inventory concerns, parents are showing determination to maintain, or even increase their education-related shopping. This spending resilience suggests that retailers who manage inventory effectively and communicate value clearly will likely outperform during this important retail season.”

Top Spending on Back-to-School Categories
Among categories, PwC found that purchases related to technology are increasingly becoming a necessity for families shopping for back-to-school supplies, although spending on apparel and footwear remains a core purchase across all price points.

 

Not Everyone Spending Freely
For surveyed respondents who plan to cut back on shopping for back-to-school items this year, technology and clothing were cited as top categories for reducing spend. Essential items (books, educational materials and school supplies) remain more shielded. When the firm asked surveyed respondents which back-to-school shopping categories they plan to cut spending on this year, 44 percent cited technology, 40 percent clothing and shoes, 30 percent school supplies, and 26 percent books and educational materials.

Ways To Save
Prioritizing discounts (only buying items on sale) and shopping early were the most common methods surveyed parents said they would use to save on back-to-school shopping this year. Value-conscious purchasing and reusing items were also popular responses. 

 

Other findings from PwC’s Back-to-School survey include:

  • One in five respondents plan to use AI tools to find online deals, a shift that PwC notes as an often “growing comfort with AI among mainstream consumers, helping to create a growing imperative for retailers to enhance their digital channels and search visibility for AI-powered searches.”
  • Gen Z parents are more likely than Millennials or Gen X to shop exclusively in-store, a trend previous PwC surveys have explored, suggesting that Gen Z shoppers may be driving a brick-and-mortar renaissance “rooted in tactile experience and brand engagement.” While hybrid shopping (a mix of in-store and online) remains the dominant approach among surveyed respondents, Millennial parents (71 percent) and Gen X parents (73 percent) were found in the survey to be significantly more online-oriented than Gen Z (57 percent) and Baby Boomers (54 percent). Meanwhile, Gen Z (27 percent) and Boomer parents (30 percent) were found to be more likely to stick with an in-store-only approach.
  • Households earning $ 75,000 or more are nearly twice as likely to shop exclusively online (14 percent) as those earning less than $75,000 (8 percent). Conversely, respondents earning less than the median are almost twice as likely to shop exclusively in-store (30 percent vs. 17 percent of households earning $ 75,000 or more).
  • Of the parents surveyed for the study who plan to spend less on back-to-school this year, the majority have not yet tightened their everyday spending or are planning to reduce their spending during the holiday shopping season.

Image courtesy Target