In Arizona, the school year begins early and some students have already returned to the classroom and many more will return this week.
While critics of Arizona’s school choice program complain about the cost of educating kids, parents know exactly just how expensive it is.
Across the country, families with students in elementary through high school plan to spend an average of $858.07 on clothing, shoes, school supplies and electronics, down from $874.68 in 2024, according to the National Retail Association.
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 last year.
K-12 shoppers are budgeting $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).
As with recent years, 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).
The top shopping destination for college students and their parents remains 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 five percentage points this year as shoppers look for value.