Two-thirds (67%) of back-to-school shoppers had already begun purchasing items for the upcoming school year as of early July, but most intend to spend less than last year, according to a survey by the National Retail Federation and Prosper Insights & Analytics.
The early start is up from 55% last year and is the highest since NRF started tracking early shopping in 2018. Additionally, half (51%) of back-to-school families are shopping earlier this year specifically out of concern that prices will rise due to tariffs.
“Consumers are being mindful of the potential impacts of tariffs and inflation on back-to-school items, and have turned to early shopping, discount stores and summer sales for savings on school essentials,” NRF VP of Industry and Consumer Insights Katherine Cullen said July 15.
“As shoppers look for the best deals on clothes, notebooks and other school-related items, retailers are highly focused on affordability and making the shopping experience as seamless as possible," Cullen said.
Although consumers are getting a head start on shopping, most (84%) still have at least half of their purchases left to complete. The top reasons consumers have shopping left to do are because they are waiting for the best deals (47%), do not yet know what items are needed (39%), or are planning to spread out their budgets (24%).
Families of K-12 students plan to spend an average of $858.07 on clothing, shoes, school supplies and electronics, down from $874.68 in 2024. Despite families budgeting less this year, slightly more consumers are purchasing apparel and electronics, driving expected total spending to $39.4 billion, up from $38.8 billion in 2024.
K-12 shoppers have budgeted $295.81 on average for electronics ($13.6 billion total), $249.36 for clothing and accessories ($11.4 billion total), $169.13 for shoes ($7.8 billion total) and $143.77 for school supplies ($6.6 billion total).
The most popular destinations for back-to-school shopping are online (55%), followed by department stores (48%), discount stores (47%), and clothing stores (41%).
College students and their families are planning to spend an average of $1,325.85, down from $1,364.75 in 2024. Although per person spending has decreased, on average, more consumers are shopping across almost every category, bringing expected total back-to-college spending to $88.8 billion, up from $86.6 billion last year.
The top five categories for college spending include $309.50 on average for electronics ($20.7 billion total), $191.39 for dorm or apartment furnishings ($12.8 billion total), $166.07 on clothing and accessories ($11.1 billion total), $140.24 on food ($9.4 billion total) and $117.95 on personal care items ($7.9 billion total).
“This increase can largely be attributed to higher income households, while lower income households are pulling back across categories because of economic uncertainty,” Prosper Executive Vice President of Strategy Phil Rist said.
“Regardless of income, families want to ensure their students are set up for success. They are cutting back in other areas, using buy now, pay later or buying used or refurbished items to have everything they need for the school year,” Rist said.
The top shopping destinations for college students and their parents remain online (48%), followed by discount stores (36%), department stores (35%), and college bookstores (27%). While these destinations are in line with 2024, discount stores have risen in popularity by 5 percentage points this year as shoppers look for value.
Since 2003, NRF has conducted a comprehensive survey of back-to-school shopping trends. This year’s research included 7,581 consumers and was fielded July 1-7 with a margin of error of plus or minus 1.1 percentage points.
