The holiday season is almost over, and as back to school approaches, the average American family, especially low-income families, will face the inevitable higher prices on school supplies compared to the previous year, due not only to high inflation, but also to the imposition of new tariff rates.
According to research developed by The Century Foundation and Groundwork Collaborative, it is estimated that for this 2026 school year, school supplies increased by 8% and school lunch by approximately 11%, meaning that families will spend an average of $4,000 per student.
In the analysis, researchers presented a list of some of the most used school supplies and lunchbox staples with their respective percentage increases this year.
According to Lindsay Owens, CEO of Groundwork Collaborative, the second biggest shopping event of the year after Christmas for American families is school supplies.
In this sense, the specialist points out that the increases in these items are attributed not only to the high price of gasoline that has been reflected in the prices of food and clothing, but also to the tariffs that are seriously affecting these products. “Most school supplies are not made in the United States, but are imported,” he told CBS.
And given the high costs, it is expected that 45% of parents with school-age children will go into debt to cover these expenses, highlights an analysis by Credit Karma, while another part considers cutting the budget within the home to cover these new expenses. “It's no wonder parents are doing everything they can to get their kids the essentials to school, even if they have to cut back on other expenses,” Owens said.
