Back-to-school shopping is the best part of a new academic year (in my opinion, at least). But adding pens, pencils, notebooks, tablets, calculators, clothes and dorm essentials to your cart adds up: Families with students in elementary through high school plan to spend an average of $863.86 on supplies, while families with college students plan to spend an average of $1,437.79, according to the National Retail Federation. Its data shows that total expected back-to-school spending will be higher than ever this year, and everybody is looking for deals to offset costs.
To help you save while shopping for back-to-school supplies, I talked to experts about what to buy now versus what to save for later, how to find exclusive discounts and strategies that can help you pay as little as possible at checkout. I also rounded up a handful of the best deals for students, teachers and parents that you can shop right now.
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The best deals on back-to-school supplies
I based my picks below on the top back-to-school shopping categories consumers are in the market for, according to data from the NRF and RetailMeNot. I also consulted experts about what school supplies to buy and skip right now, and used their advice to guide my recommendations — see their advice here.
Best back-to-school deals for students
Clothing and shoes top back-to-school shopping lists this year, according to RetailMeNot. Whether students need new sneakers to walk through the halls or trek across campus, I recommend this pair from Adidas, which I’ve worn for years. They keep my feet comfortable and supported even when I wear them for hours, yet they’re fashionable, so I can throw them on with jeans and a T-shirt or a dress. The sneakers are available in various colors and patterns, and they come in kids’, men’s and women’s sizes, including half sizes and wide widths.
Part of students showing up to class prepared on day one involves making sure they have a writing utensil. Sharpie’s S-Gel Pens made our list of favorites: NBC Selected editor Cory Fernandez says it writes smoothly on every type of paper, has a comfortable grip and writes with saturated black ink that’s easy to read and doesn’t bleed or smudge. Plus, it’s a good option for left- and right-handed people. You get 12 pens in this pack.
Students need an easy-to-clean water bottle that encourages them to stay hydrated, keeps their beverage cold, won’t leak in their bag, is durable and, of course, looks good, too. After using it for years. I can confidently say that the Owala FreeSip checks all those boxes. It has double-wall insulation and is made from stainless steel to keep drinks cool for up to 24 hours, according to the brand. Plus, you can sip or chug.
The water bottle has a push-button lock on its cap so it stays closed and a built-in carry loop, and it’s cup holder-friendly and dishwasher-safe. You can unscrew the lid to access the wide opening while cleaning and adding ice, liquid and electrolyte powders. The water bottle comes in 16-, 24-, 30- and 40-ounce sizes.
Made for upper elementary school students and older, this backpack has plenty of room to fit the essentials and then some. There’s multiple interior and exterior pockets and compartments, including designated ones for a laptop and water bottle. The backpack also has an adjustable chest strap, lots of comfortable padding, reflective details and breathable mesh fabric on the shoulder straps. There’s an ID tag inside to write a student’s name and contact information on, and you can customize the bag for an additional fee with initials, words and icons. It comes in five solid colors, and there’s a smaller version for younger kids and a larger version available.
Best back-to-school deals for teachers
Teachers can make sure their classrooms are stocked with dry erase markers that aren’t dried out when they buy this pack from Expo. It comes with 16 markers in a rainbow of vibrant colors, each of which have a chisel tip that lets you make broad, medium lines as well as fine lines, depending on how you angle it.
I constantly see teachers share glowing reviews for the Crock-Pot Electric Lunch Box on TikTok — many say the portable appliance encourages them to bring meals to school instead of buying them, and they appreciate that it eliminates the need to microwave their food. Just plug it in and let the food warm right at your desk. It has a 20-ounce capacity, a detachable cord for easy storage and portability, a tightly fitting lid and a built-in carry handle. The food storage container and lid are detachable and dishwasher-safe.
Write yourself and your students notes, jot down quick reminders and label items around the classroom using these Post-its. They come in a pack with 24 pads that have 70 sheets each, and there’s five different colors included. You can remove and restick a Post-it numerous times, according to the brand.
Make this faux suede tote your new work bag to feel stylish and organized going into the school year. It has a spacious, round shape, a zipper closure, a roomy main compartment, an internal pocket and comfortable shoulder strap. One reviewer confirmed that their 13-inch laptop fits inside, as does a tablet. There’s also hardware details on the exterior and it comes in four colors.
Best back-to-school deals for parents
You can keep track of your whole family’s appointments, classes, meetings, playdates and more using Skylight’s calendar. It connects to Wi-Fi and syncs with multiple people’s Google, iCloud, Outlook, Cozi and Yahoo calendars, pulling all the information into one central hub. Users can add updates to the calendar using the device or their app, and parents can assign kids chores, make a weekly meal plan and jot down notes. The device has a 15.5-inch touchscreen, and you can stand it up on a flat surface or mount it on the wall.
When students lose something, money goes down the drain. Avoid misplaced supplies by labeling literally everything: clothes, shoes, notebooks, backpacks, lunchboxes, food storage containers, books — the list goes on. This label maker connects to an app on your phone via Bluetooth, letting you customize labels with words, icons, borders and more so you can keep tabs on all that stuff. The device is rechargeable and portable, plus it has a built-in cutter.
Parents always need to restock household basics like laundry detergent, so they might as well buy them on sale. This pack comes with 45 Tide Pods, which clean fabric, get rid of stains and remove odors. They dissolve quickly, even in cold water, and are HE-compatible. Whether your kid wears a uniform or their regular clothes to school, they’ll be going through a lot more outfits during the academic year, so be sure to get as many packs as you can store while they’re marked down.
Many schools have rules around the types of foods students can eat in the classroom to be cautious around those with allergies. MadeGood’s granola bars and bites are school-safe, meaning they’re free from the top nine allergens: peanuts, wheat and gluten, soy, dairy, egg, sesame, tree nuts, fish and shellfish. The snacks come individually packed, making them ideal to put in lunchboxes and backpacks, as well as keep in the car. This box comes with 37 packs in a variety of flavors.
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More back-to-school sales to shop now
Here are the best back-to-school supplies sales to know about. Keep in mind, not every item from a brand is discounted as described below.
- Amazon: Shop back-to-school deals across categories sitewide and in Amazon’s Off to College Shop
- Apple: Save on tech with Apple’s education savings pricing, and for a limited time, get a gift card with your purchase.
- Target: Up to 60% off school supplies for all ages, clothes, shoes, college essentials and more
- The Container Store: Students can get 20% off their purchase, plus additional deals and promos, with the College Savings Pass now through Sept. 30. Get the pass by texting COLLEGE to 22822. Plus, get up to 50% off organization, storage and home essentials during The Big Organizing Event.
- Bed Bath & Beyond: Get up to 60% off bedding, bath linens, home decor, organization and storage essentials and more during the Half-Yearly Home Event. Plus, get 20% off a single item for a limited time.
- Best Buy: Save on Apple products now through Aug. 9
- Zappos: Get up to 30% off clothes, shoes and accessories
- Staples: Save on classroom basics, backpacks, lunchboxes, tech and more, with essentials as low as $0.25
- Land’s End: Up to 70% off clothing, backpacks, bags, lunchboxes, uniforms and more
- Pottery Barn Kids: Up to 50% off backpacks, lunchboxes and more
- Kohl’s: Up to 70% off college and back-to-school essentials like bedding, clothes, shoes, backpacks and homeware
- Macy’s: Up to 50% off clothing, shoes, backpacks, tech and more
- Nordstrom: Up to 60% off clothes, shoes, accessories, beauty and homeware during The Nordstrom Anniversary Sale through Aug. 9
- Dick’s Sporting Goods: Up to 30% off lifestyle, exercise and sport shoes
- Adidas: Up to 40% off men’s, women’s and kids’ clothes, shoes and accessories
- Nike: Up to 25% off select clothing, footwear and accessories with code DAYONE
- Owala: Up to 20% off drinkware, bags and accessories
- Old Navy: Up to 60% off clothing, shoes and accessories through Aug. 9
- Famous Footwear: Up to 30% off select footwear. Plus buy on item and get a second item of equal or lesser value for half price
- Rifle Paper Co.: Up to 50% off desk and home decor, stationary, tableware and more
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How to save while back-to-school shopping
What to buy now
Before the school year starts, focus on buying essentials that students need from day one, experts say. That includes basic supplies like notebooks, folders, pens and pencils, as well as backpacks, lunchboxes and water bottles. Even higher on consumers’ back-to-school shopping lists, however, is clothing and shoes — 48 percent say that’s what they plan on adding to their carts right now, according to a recent survey by RetailMeNot. Apparel tends to get picked over later into the season, so get the color, size or style your student needs before it’s gone, says Stephanie Carls, a retail insights expert at RetailMeNot.
The same advice applies to college students, including as it relates to shopping for dorm rooms: Get what you can’t live without now and save the rest for later. Carls says bedding, towels, shower caddies, kitchen basics, laundry supplies and storage move fast, so if you haven’t bought them yet, grab whatever you can find.
What to wait on
Wait to buy anything you’re not sure students need yet, anything that feels like an “extra” and anything that could be a specific request from the teacher, like certain calculators and computer software, for example. If you hold off on shopping for these items until after the school year starts, you may find better deals than retailers are currently offering, says Ashley Feinstein Gerstley, a shopping and savings strategist at Rakuten. They’ll continue hosting sales through September, so don’t feel pressure to buy everything before day one.
As for college students, wait to buy anything that requires coordinating with a roommate or measuring a dorm room, like a mini fridge, rug, furniture or TV, says Carls. Skip decor for now, too — once students are living in the space, they’ll have a better idea of what they actually need to outfit the room.
How to find student and teacher discounts
Hundreds of retailers give undergraduate students, graduate students and teachers exclusive discounts in-store and online, and many of them are year-round, storewide/sitewide offers you can take advantage of every time you shop. To access these discounts, you’ll need to verify your student or educator status by showing a document like a school-issued ID in-person or using a third-party service online like ID.me and SheerID, which connect to brands’ websites to automatically apply the discount at checkout.
Student and teacher discounts aren’t always easy to find — some brands don’t advertise them at all. If you’re shopping in-person, Carls recommends asking a store associate or cashier whether the store has student or teacher discounts available. If you’re shopping online, I recommend browsing sites like Unidays, Student Beans, SheerID and ID.me, which aggregate brands’ student and teacher discounts so you can see them all in one place.
The terms of each brand’s student or teacher discount differ, so make sure you understand what items it applies to, as well as when and how often you can use it. You can often stack these discounts with cashback and sales, saving you even more.
What to know about sales tax holidays
Sales tax holidays are limited periods when a state waives or reduces the sales tax on specific types of products. See the 2026 calendar here. Not all states have them, but those that do often host them around now to help offset the cost of back-to-school shopping — the waived or reduced tax usually applies to products like school supplies, backpacks, clothing, shoes and technology.
If you live in a state that has a sales tax holiday now or in the coming weeks, Gerstley recommends factoring it into your back-to-school shopping savings strategy, but don’t completely rely on it. The holiday will save you money, but to really stretch your budget, you’ll need to stack savings like cashback, stores’ sales and coupons, too.
More savings tips for back-to-school shopping, according to experts
While the tips I included below are centered around back-to-school shopping, you can use almost all of them throughout the entire academic year. Gerstley says small savings add up over time, and building smart shopping habits now will benefit you long-term.
- Make a shopping list: My favorite strategy is to make a shopping list of everything you need, and then step back and categorize the list into “must haves” and “save for laters.” Categorizing items like this forces you to think critically about each one and whether you can survive without it for a few weeks. A list also makes it easier to stick to your budget — if you didn’t write it down, you immediately know it’s not something you absolutely need.
- Spread out your spending: Back-to-school sales won’t end immediately once the academic year starts, so check items off your list over time rather than doing one big haul. Waiting to buy your “save for laters” also gives you time to look for better deals, especially on pricey products.
- Buy essentials in bulk while they’re on sale: Retailers tend to discount school supply essentials like pens, pencils, paper and folders, as well as health and wellness basics like hand sanitizer and disinfecting wipes, the most leading up to the academic year. If you see something on sale that you constantly re-buy, throw a bunch of them in your cart, says Carls. You’re guaranteed to use them, so you’ll save money in the long run.
- Stack your savings: A retailer’s discount price is just a starting point — stacking additional savings opportunities on top of that is what really makes a difference at checkout. Beyond adding deals to your cart, experts recommend shopping through a browser extension or app that lets you earn cashback and find exclusive promo codes; using a credit card that lets you earn cashback or points on purchases; and taking advantage of student and teacher discounts.
- Comparison shop: Tons of retailers are hosting back-to-school sales right now, so before you buy something, compare retailers’ discount prices, shipping fees and cashback opportunities to make sure you’re getting the overall best deal possible.
- For teachers: Eligible educators can deduct up to $350 on their federal taxes for school supplies and technology, among other things, so track what you spend, says Gerstley.
- For college students: If college students are frequent shoppers at big retailers, they should consider signing up for a loyalty membership if there’s one available at a discounted rate, like Amazon Prime for Young Adults, Target Circle College Student Appreciation and Walmart+ for students. These memberships often come with perks like free, fast shipping, cashback on purchases and exclusive deals on products tailored to students’ needs.
Meet our shopping experts
At NBC Selected, we work with experts who have specialized knowledge and authority based on relevant training and/or experience. We also ensure that all expert advice and recommendations are made independently and with no undisclosed financial conflicts of interest.
- Ashley Feinstein Gerstley is a shopping and savings strategist at Rakuten.
- Stephanie Carls is a retail insights expert at RetailMeNot.
Why trust NBC Selected?
I’m a reporter at NBC Selected who’s covered consumer savings, sales and deals for over five years. I’ve also written about back-to-school shopping, including topics like student discounts and dorm essentials. To write this article, I rounded up some of the top deals on back-to-school supplies for students, parents and teachers available now, and I interviewed two experts about how to save money while shopping.
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