Back-to-School Spending 2026: a Record $43.3 Billion, and How to Tame It

Back-to-school 2026 is breaking records again — and not the kind your wallet likes. In the United States, the National Retail Federation (NRF) forecasts a record $43.3 billion in spending on K-12 students, while a PwC survey puts the average at $922 per household. Why does it keep climbing, and how do you keep it from getting away from you?

Short answer

Total back-to-school spending is at an all-time high: the NRF forecasts $43.3 billion, up 9.9% from 2025. Measured per household, PwC estimates an average of $922, with nearly half of parents (47%) planning to spend more than last year. The biggest categories are clothing, technology and supplies.

Why Spending Keeps Rising

It isn't one reason but several stacked together. On one hand, the cumulative inflation of recent years has made almost everything on the list pricier: notebooks, backpacks, sneakers. On the other, what goes on that list has changed. Per PwC's breakdown, a typical household splits its spending roughly like this:

Clothing and shoes — ~$278: the biggest category, more than double what's spent on actual school supplies.
Technology — ~$222: laptops, tablets, headphones, calculators. Increasingly a required part of the backpack, not a luxury.
School supplies — ~$122: the classics: notebooks, pencils, folders, a backpack.

Technology is what has pushed the figure up most over the years: what used to be a notebook can now be a device. Adjust the categories in the widget and watch your total take shape.

Build your back-to-school budget

Move each category and watch your total against the average of these three categories per PwC (~$622). It's for sizing things up, not a spending recommendation.

Technology: $222

Clothing and shoes: $278

School supplies: $122

Reference: PwC average across these three categories ~$622 (clothing and shoes $278, technology $222, supplies $122). PwC's total average per household is ~$922 and also includes other items. Figures in dollars, for illustration.

Three Simple Tips to Stay on Budget

You don't need a complicated spreadsheet. These three habits alone make a difference:

Set a cap before you browse. Decide how much you can spend in total and split it by category (technology, clothing, supplies). Shopping with a number in mind curbs impulse buys.
Check what you already have. Before buying, do a quick inventory: last year's backpacks, calculators and clothes that still work. Often half the list is already at home.
Stagger your purchases. Don't buy everything on the same weekend. Spreading it over a few weeks helps you catch deals and softens the one-time hit to your budget.

The Takeaway

Back-to-school has become one of the biggest expenses of the year for families, driven by technology, clothing and inflation. The record figure doesn't mean you have to spend more: with a clear cap and purchases spread out, the same start of the school year can cost quite a bit less.

If you want to set that cap and split it across categories in an orderly way, a budget planner helps you put numbers on your own back-to-school season before you head out to shop.

Figures based on public projections from the National Retail Federation (NRF) and a 2026 PwC survey, for the United States market. The $43.3 billion figure is the NRF's projected aggregate total for K-12 purchases; the $922 is PwC's estimated average per household — these are different measures. Informational, not financial advice.

Educational note; the $43.3 billion figure follows the NRF 2026 back-to-school forecast and is an estimate. Not financial advice.