Back-to-school math is set for 2026: families with students in elementary through high school plan to spend an average of 858.07 dollars on clothing, shoes, supplies, and electronics, according to the National Retail Federation's annual surveys conducted ahead of the season, with clothing and accessories accounting for 250.29 dollars per family — roughly 12.5 billion dollars nationally. NRF's summer reporting also found shoppers starting earlier than usual, driven in part by concerns that prices would keep rising on tariff costs.
Why are families shopping earlier this year?
The NRF found the season now begins early for a majority of shoppers, and its June survey work found more than 40 percent of back-to-school shoppers describing their finances as worse than a year earlier. When budgets tighten and prices trend up, starting early is a hedging strategy: buy the guaranteed-needed items — shoes, jeans, basics — before fall inventory carries full tariff pass-through, and leave discretionary items for later markdowns. Retailers have reinforced the pattern by rolling out promotions earlier each year.
Related stories: Why a 15 percent tariff can raise a price tag by 30 percent · Clothing prices climbed again in April, latest CPI report shows.
How do you spend the clothing budget of 250 dollars well?
The NRF figure is an average, not a quota. Stretching it comes down to sequencing:
- Buy now only what must fit in August — shoes, underwear, and growth-dependent items like pants where fit is urgent.
- Defer style-driven purchases to September and October, when first-choice items start their first markdown cycle and tax-free holidays land in many states.
- Check unit prices on multipacks of basics; shrinkflation has been quietly reducing counts in this category.
- Compare against resale for outerwear and name-brand pieces, where barely-worn stock from last school year is plentiful.
Are prices actually higher this back-to-school season?
In clothing, yes — apparel prices were at or near record levels through spring, with clothing inflation running ahead of overall inflation and the 15 percent Section 122 import surcharge in effect since February. Supplies and electronics have seen more mixed movement. The clothing line item is where a family budget most needs a plan.
The number to anchor on: 858.07 dollars in planned average K-12 spending, of which 250.29 dollars goes to clothing and accessories — buy the fit-critical items early, and let the rest ride the markdown calendar into September.