Parents Keeping Back-to-School Budgets in Check

Keeping a closer eye on finances, parents plan to take a more conservative approach when it comes to back-to-school shopping for their K-12-aged children this year. The goal is to ensure that their students have everything they need, of course, but they will look to more value-oriented ways to accomplish that goal.

According to the 2025 Deloitte Back-to-School Survey of more than 1,200 people with at least one school-aged child, parents will be focusing on just the essentials and turning toward less expensive brands and retailers. Why? Eight in 10 (83%) surveyed say their households are in a similar or worse financial situation than last year, and more than half (54%) expect the economy to weaken in the next six months. That said, parents expect to spend $570 per student, down just $16 over last year.

If there's a back-to-schooler in your house, here are some survey findings you may find interesting:

· Respondents expect to increase their spending on clothing and accessories, up 6% to $13.4 billion. Spending on all other categories is expected to decline: technology (-8%); school supplies (-3%); and other home and health products, including personal hygiene items and educational furniture (-12%).

· Despite keeping an eye on their budget, 62% of surveyed parents say their children often influence them to spend more, and 57% say they can be enticed to splurge on a first-day-of-school outfit.

· While extracurricular activities remain a priority, surveyed parents plan to cut costs. Nine in 10 plan to enroll their children in extracurricular activities, spending an average of $532 per child on fees and equipment, down $50 year-over-year. Respondents say that extracurricular activities are important for a child's mental health (87%) and developing skills that artificial intelligence (AI) can't compete with (83%).

· Deciding what to make for school lunch is a pain point for 45% of parents surveyed. 42% of respondents say their children bring lunch from home on most school days; they note that a monthly average of $164 is reasonable to spend on daily school lunch.

· Mass merchant retailers continue to lead the way, with more people planning to shop there, increasing by six percentage points year-over-year. They're followed by online and off-price retailers, dollar stores and warehouse membership clubs.

· 71% are willing to wait longer for delivery if it means lower or no shipping costs. Demand for standard shipping is up to 76%, compared to 63% in 2024.

· 26% of parents surveyed plan to buy back-to-school items using cashback websites.

· Parents have different strategies for purchasing supplies to get through the school year: Half (48%) of those surveyed plan to save money by buying in bulk, while 39% will buy smaller packs and replenish as needed.

· Those looking for deals may sacrifice loyalty: 75% say they will shift brands if the preferred brand is too expensive (versus 67% in 2024), 65% say they will shop at more affordable retailers (versus 62% in 2024), and 50% will shop for private labels over name brands (flat year-over-year).

· The average spend of those who shop primarily online is expected to be $601, $100 more than that of those who plan to shop mostly in-store.

 

Reprinted with permission from RISMedia. ©2025. All rights reserved.

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