Hope you’re enjoying the summer while you can, because the back-to-school shopping may cause people to want another vacation.
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According to a CNBC report, families will now pay more for some essential back-to-school items like backpacks. Part of this is because of President Donald Trump’s new tariff rates, despite inflation cooling.
CNBC did a close look at a price index to track how the cost of making certain items for students changed between 2019 and 2025. What they found is that many school supply categories are at least 20% more expensive than they were pre-pandemic.
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According to a back-to-school retail survey by Deloitte (via CNBC), and talked to more than 1,200 parents in May. They found spending for K-12 students is estimated to reach a collective $30.9 billion, or an average of roughly $570 per child this year. Granted, that number is down from $586 compared to 2024, even with higher prices across categories.
Still, a little more than half of parents, according to NerdWallet’s 2025 back-to-school shopping report, would go into debt to cover extracurriculars, and 46% would do the same for back-to-school items to help their child “fit in” at school, also up from the year before.
CNBC contributed to this report.