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Back-to-School Spending: Best 2026 Budget Numbers

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Chart showing back-to-school spending hit a record $863.86 per K-12 student and $1,437.79 per college student in 2026, with a category breakdown of where the money goes and back-to-school shopping timing statistics

Back-to-school spending just hit a record high, and the numbers explain why so many families feel the pinch every August. The average household with kids in kindergarten through 12th grade expects to spend $863.86 per student this year, up from $858.07 in 2025, pushing total K-12 spending to $43.3 billion nationwide — a record, according … Read more