This column is part of a series from the Center for American Progress examining the challenges that parents, educators, and students face as they prepare for and begin the 2025-26 school year.
As parents make their shopping lists for the 2025-26 school year, rising costs fueled by President Donald Trump’s tariffs are top of mind. Indeed, parents are feeling the strain on their wallets as they prepare for this upcoming school year, with 85 percent of Americans expressing concerns about tariffs’ impacts on rising prices and 7 in 10 parents expecting to spend more than they did the year before.
Parents are preparing for increased costs and tighter household budgets
To combat rising costs, parents are changing their spending habits this school year in an effort to make ends meet. This includes switching to more affordable brands, buying fewer supplies, and cutting back on spending on other household expenditures, such as dining out or entertainment. A July 2025 survey from Credit Karma found that 44 percent of parents plan to take on some kind of debt to afford back-to-school shopping this year—up from 34 percent the year prior. Not only are parents concerned about buying basic supplies for the school year; nearly half (45 percent) of parents are also concerned about affording after-school programs, such as sports and extracurriculars.
$900
Amount parents expect to spend on back-to-school costs for the 2025-26 school year
Among back-to-school needs, Americans are reportedly most worried about affording apparel and technology. This comes as no surprise, seeing that products from these two industries are more likely to be affected by tariffs. This year, families are shopping earlier than ever and “deal hunting” in an attempt to beat tariff-related price hikes. More than half of parents expressed concerns about products being unavailable when they go shopping, reflecting the concerns many hold about tariffs’ impact on supply chains.
Household expenditures for back-to-school shopping are on track to increase, as most parents expect to spend more on back-to-school supplies in 2025 than they did in 2024, despite their best efforts to cut back on costs. The expected average household expenses for the 2025-26 school year could reach nearly $900. (see Figure 1)
While July 2025 consumer price index (CPI) for some common back-to-school categories is similar to or more than July 2024 levels, costs for items such as school books as well as for tuition and other school fees are nearly 8 percent and 3.5 percent more expensive, respectively, than they were the year before. (see Figure 2) Recent analysis found that a typical basket of school supplies could cost an average of 7.3 percent more in 2025 than the year prior, with the costs of some items, such as index cards and notebooks, increasing by 42.6 percent and 17.1 percent, respectively.
Conclusion
Already, families are grappling with higher costs of living, and President Trump’s massive tariffs are further straining household budgets and causing parents to change their spending habits. With back-to-school shopping underway, parents are more conscious than ever about how impending tariffs could affect their budgets.
The author would like to thank Natalie Baker, Weadé James, Ryan Mulholland, Lily Roberts, Emily Gee, Paige Shoemaker DeMio, and Steve Bonitatibus for their feedback.