2025 Back-to-School Shopping Report – NerdWallet

For many parents and school-aged kids, summer vacation is halfway over and back-to-school season is upon us. Some parents may be counting down the days until their kids are back in the school year routine, while also harboring concerns about the associated costs.

More than half of parents of children in K-12 or college (56%) say back-to-school season is financially stressful for their family, according to a new NerdWallet survey. This stress may be tied to an expectation of higher prices due to tariffs. The survey found that parents of K-12 or college students who plan to back-to-school shop estimate they’ll spend $741, on average, for expenses such as clothing, supplies and books. That’s $200 more than last year’s average.

The survey, conducted online by The Harris Poll, asked parents of K-12 or college students who plan to back-to-school shop this year — referred to as “back-to-school shoppers” throughout this report — how they’re paying for the upcoming school year’s expenses. We also asked about how they’re saving money on these costs, and how they’re changing their shopping habits to account for possible tariff-related price increases.

• Credit cards are the top payment method this year. More than 3 in 5 back-to-school shoppers (63%) say they’ll use credit cards to pay for their purchases for the upcoming school year. Debit cards (60%) are the second most popular payment method.

• Shopping sales and using coupons are common ways back-to-school shoppers plan to save. More than half of back-to-school shoppers (52%) plan to shop during sales this year, while about a third (34%) plan to use coupons for back-to-school shopping.

• Back-to-school shoppers are changing how they shop amid tariff concerns. Some back-to-school shoppers plan to buy different brands (39%) or shop with different retailers (35%) for items this year due to tariff-related price increases. Others are cutting back on back-to-school clothing (27%) and supplies (25%) this year.

“Tariffs are top-of-mind for many families this year, since they can affect prices for common back-to-school purchases like clothing and computers,” says Sara Rathner, a personal finance expert at NerdWallet. “This is a good year to plan ahead so you can comparison shop and spread out the costs of everything you need to buy.”

Many back-to-school shoppers will use a credit card (63%) and/or a debit card (60%) to pay for purchases for the upcoming school year. Nearly a quarter of shoppers (23%) say they’ll use buy now, pay later services.

Despite so many using credit cards and BNPL services, just 13% of back-to-school shoppers say they’ll likely go into debt to pay for school supplies this year. This suggests that many don’t view this short-term financing as taking on debt, probably due to the lack of incurred interest. But a surprising number of parents say they would go into debt for their kids to fit in or participate in extracurricular activities.

The survey found that more than half of parents of kids in K-12 or college (53%) would go into debt to pay for the extracurriculars their child wants to participate in. And nearly as many (46%) say they’d go into debt to pay for back-to-school items that would help their child fit in at school.

Parents want to give their kids the best, but sometimes it’s worth taking a step back and evaluating what that means. While the “it” back-to-school sneakers may be outgrown by holiday break, financial security can provide a more lasting impact. When possible, opt for that longer term stability for your family by avoiding debt for nonessential purchases or activities. This can also provide a good money example for your children, even if it causes hurt feelings in the near term.

“Many of us remember wanting something expensive, and how much it hurt when our parents said ‘no.’ Now it’s your turn to be a parent, and it can hurt in a different way,” Rathner says. “This can be a teaching moment, though. Perhaps you help your child pick one pricier item as a gift for their next birthday, or you show them how to save part of their allowance each week or month to afford the item later on.”

Many are doing what they can to save money on purchases for the upcoming school year. The survey found that more than half of back-to-school shoppers (52%) plan to shop during sales this year. Around a third (34%) plan to use coupons for back-to-school shopping, and 31% will save money by only purchasing things required or requested by their children’s school.

Some back-to-school shoppers are getting prepared. Two in 5 (40%) say they’ll save ahead of time to pay for back-to-school shopping this year, and 34% of shoppers will set a firm budget. Parents might even involve their kids in the planning — 30% of back-to-school shoppers say they have talked or will talk to their kids about the shopping budget for the upcoming school year.

In addition to discussing the shopping budget with your kids, let them know what you expect from them when it comes to back-to-school purchases. The survey found that 19% of back-to-school shoppers with kids 13 and older say they expect their children to contribute to back-to-school costs this year. If this arrangement is appropriate for your household, have the conversation with your kids earlier rather than later so they can prepare.

Around 1 in 8 back-to-school shoppers (12%) say they’ll have to say “no” to activities their children want to do this school year due to cost. That may be a tough conversation to have, but explaining this to kids early on in the school year may give them more time to accept it or take steps to contribute to the cost of their desired activities.

“Enlist your kids’ help! Have them create a shopping list with you and ask them to hunt down coupon codes,” Rathner says. “Kids are savvy and great with technology. Make it a fun contest to see who can find items at a lower price.”

The tariff situation is ongoing and subject to change at any time, but many Americans have plans to alter their shopping habits due to related price hikes. Nearly 2 in 5 back-to-school shoppers (39%) say they’ll buy different brands when back-to-school shopping due to tariff-related price increases and 35% say the same about buying from different retailers.

Some back-to-school shoppers prepared far in advance — 26% of back-to-school shoppers say they’d already purchased new technology items for their kids for the upcoming school year to avoid tariff-related price increases, according to the survey, fielded in May 2025.

Teachers and schools may be doubly affected — by their own higher costs to stock classrooms and by reduced parental contributions. More than 1 in 5 back-to-school shoppers (22%) say they’ll contribute less to their children’s school or classroom this year due to tariff-related price increases.

Tough times — economic or otherwise — are a great time to be a part of a community. Whether you’re the one who needs support, or you can offer assistance, find your people. This might mean your neighborhood, other parents at your school, your spiritual community, or anyone else who can pool resources to help those who need it.

If you need financial assistance, you’re in good company. A quarter of back-to-school shoppers (25%) say they’ll seek out free options for this year’s school supplies. Talk to your school or religious organization about whether they do backpack drives or supply swaps. You can also do an internet search for “free school supplies [your city]” to find local initiatives to get children the back-to-school items they need.

If you can provide assistance, check with your school to see how you can help. Teachers may have wishlists for classroom supplies, and the school district may accept monetary or supply donations for children in need. Likewise, you can also search for “free school supplies [your city]” to find somewhere local to donate.

“Families are feeling the burn of higher prices this year, but coordinating with your kids’ teachers and other families can help create that village that parents desperately need,” Rathner says.

This survey was conducted online within the United States by The Harris Poll on behalf of NerdWallet from May 20-22, 2025, among 2,048 U.S. adults ages 18 and older, among whom 608 are parents of kids in K-12/college, 577 of which will back-to-school shop this year. The sampling precision of Harris online polls is measured by using a Bayesian credible interval. For this study, the sample data is accurate to within +/- 2.5 percentage points using a 95% confidence level. This credible interval will be wider among subsets of the surveyed population of interest. For complete survey methodology, including weighting variables and subgroup sample sizes, please contact [email protected].