A Back-to-School Supply List to Get You Started
Shopping early for back-to-school supplies gives you a chance to look for bargains. Here's a basic list if you don't have one from your child's school yet.
By GreatSchools.net Staff
Before you shop for back-to-school supplies, it's best to get a list of what's required from your child's school or new teacher. If the school list isn't available yet, you can still take advantage of back-to-school sales by sticking to the basics that you know your child will need.
A number of states have "tax-free" days during back-to-school season, when state sales taxes are lifted.
Check our 10 Tips for Smart Shopping for more advice to save your time, money and sanity.
This list is meant as a general guide to get you started. Every teacher's list is a little different. Some recommend specific brands, such as Fiskars scissors for example, or sizes. Some recommend buying in larger quantities than we've listed here. Many will give you a shorter list.
Teachers' Most Wanted List
What's the most important item to buy for back to school? We asked some of the award-winning teachers on the GreatSchools panel of experts. Their response:
Tools to help kids get — and stay — organized.
"If your school does not provide a folder for keeping organized, do it yourself," said Jane Ann Robertson, Arizona's 2004 Teacher of the Year. More organizing ideas:
  • A school box. Nicola Salvatico, a first-grade teacher who was Pennsylvania's 2005 Teacher of the Year, recommends a box that's 8 inches long by 5 inches wide by 2 inches deep to hold pencils, crayons, erasers and scissors.
  • A folder. Robertson recommends a folder with two pockets, one marked "Keep at Home" and another marked "Bring Back to School" to help keep your child organized.
Other suggestions from Robertson:
  • "In the lower primary grades, gluesticks go fast and furiously!"
  • "Students in the upper grades often like to use mechanical pencils, which run out of lead constantly."
Supplies for Children in Elementary School Glue sticks (at least 3 for the year)
Scissors (blunt end for younger kids, pointy for older ones)
Ballpoint pens
No. 2 pencils (Parents should stick to the basics here, advises Nicola Salvatico, Pennsylvania's 2005 Teacher of the Year. "When they get fancy pencils, it becomes a 'that's mine' event.")
Colored pencils
Pencil sharpener (hand held with a top to collect shavings)
Large pink eraser ("These good old ones do the best erasing," says Salvatico "The fancy ones look good but don't erase well.")
Box of crayons (16-pack for younger kids, more for older ones, says Salvatico. "Parents need to think how their child can organize and care for their supplies before buying them the mega box of things.")
Water-based markers
Water color paints
4-oz. bottle of white glue
Highlighters
Notebooks
3-ring binder
Loose-leaf notebook paper
Note: Teachers can be picky about paper. Schools usually supply specially ruled handwriting paper to help younger children with letter formation. Older children use wide-ruled paper. High school — and some middle school — students will need the college-ruled variety.
Pocket folders
Computer printer paper (if you have a home computer)
Printer ink cartridges (if you have a home computer)
Drawing paper
Construction paper
A ruler with English and metric measurements
Don't Waste Your Money on These
  • "Feather pencils, light-up pencil sharpeners, pretty erasers that don't work," says Salvatico.
  • Expensive folders "with many pockets and zippers are basically useless — especially in K-3 — and are often times too big to fit in desks," says Robertson.
School box (for storing supplies)
Scotch tape
Stapler
Kleenex
Small bottle of hand sanitizer
A sturdy, supportive backpack
Note: Some schools do not permit rolling backpacks because of space considerations, so check with your school before considering this option.
Additional Items Middle-School and High-School Students Usually Need A calendar for time-management and for scheduling assignments
2 combination locks (one for the hall locker and one for the gym locker)
Binder dividers (the kinds with pockets are good for loose papers)
Several 3-ring binders (some teachers will require a binder to be used exclusively for their class)
Folders to fit into binders
A small notebook to record assignments
Pencil case to fit into binder
Pens (get a few red ink ones too, because some teachers have students do peer editing)
Index cards, ruled and unruled
Calculator (Check with the math teacher first before investing in an expensive calculator. Graphing calculators, for example, are required in some middle school and many high school math classes Math teachers advise parents not to buy a calculator with more functions than your student will use.)
Updated April 2008
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Comments From GreatSchools.net Users
07/23/2008:
"many of these items are just luxuries but very useful to have. Also many of these items you will only have to purchase once or twice so the investment is well worth it. But my advise to you is to be prepared with these items but if money is tight in your house, send your child to school with only the necessities and wait for a mandatory list back from your teacher/teachers."
07/23/2008:
"thank you so much!!! a suggestion, you should add/mention sharpies we need lots of those at our school!!!"
07/23/2008:
"your ideas are really great, but I think your putting a bit too much. Why would students need a notebook to record assignments if most schools give out agendas where the student can write his/her assignments? I also don't understand why kids would need to bring paint to school? Personally, I don't think that the student would need to bring something that their school might already offer. (The same with index cards And construction paper.) I also don't think that printer paper and ink cartridges are neccesary. They're WAY too exsensive!!! Then again, that's only my opinion, and other than that, you've got many great ideas!!! ;) "
07/23/2008:
"I think somebody is living it up at our expense, where is all the tax dollars that are collected for our schools going? I want someone to explain why they cant afford these basic supplies to educate our kids."
07/23/2008:
"Send middle schoolers and high schoolers to school with a pencil, black/blue ink pens, a one inch binder and paper. Don't waste money on all the other stuff. Some math and science teachers like to say you need specific sizes of binders. Don't waste money. Keep it simple for the first day."
07/23/2008:
"Send middle schoolers and high schoolers to school with a pencil, black/blue ink pens, a one inch binder and paper. Don't waste money on all the other stuff. Some math and science teachers like to say you need specific sizes of binders. Don't waste money. Keep it simple for the first day."
07/22/2008:
"I think a list should be made for each grade as to what supplies they need instead of every teacher getting to decide what they want the children to use. This would eliviate some of the hussle and bussle that goes on at the beginning of each year. It use to be that all kids needed for school were pencils and paper. Now, we're sending kleenexes, paper towels, etc. Next thing you know we'll be sending toilet paper with them!! What do the children who's parents can't afford this stuff do? It makes them feel belittled! And what is the 'activity fee' at the beginning of the year for? I'm told it's for projects that they do. Bull crap!! Every time my children have activities, field trips, etc., they bring home a note needing money to pay for it! Where did that $21 go that we paid at the beginning of the year for EACH child go?! If the school superintendents would get their heads out of their 'you-know-what', they might actually see what's going on!! "
07/21/2008:
"I might as well drive my van to Office Depot and buy them out."
07/21/2008:
"I think it's good to get supplies ahead of time so your ready, but i will wait to get my list from school because half the stuff the school says we need we never use and it's to late to return it and get our money back!"
07/21/2008:
"i don't like to spend my hard earned money on other people children that is just crazy when my son was in the second grade i'd gotten him a ton of folders and he lost one and the teacher tryed to charge him for another one..."
07/21/2008:
"As a teacher although this list is helpful there are some things on this list that do not make sense to me as the school supplies some of this. I always send a letter home to my parents (three weeks before school starts) and let them know exactly what they will need to buy for their child. This way it saves the parent money and time from having to go out twice to get things they may have not thought of on this list. There are also some things on this list that a 12th grader would not need....crayons? I would suggest to all the parents out there to wait until you get a list. Most will not send it out as early as I do, but at least if you wait you will be better off."
07/21/2008:
"I refuse to send all the items on the list to school all at once. I did that last year and two weeks into the school year my daughter came home saying she needed somthing else. I was like didn't I send everything that was on the list to school already? She was like yeah but the teacher kept half the materials. If we have to go out and buy school supplies than the teachers should have to as well. So this year I will only send the supplies as she needs them. I can't afford to keep buying supplies so that the teacher can use. The cost of living is going up. It's just to expensive."
07/18/2008:
"I always have my own organizational system. When teachers say I need a folder, I'd bring a binder, and most times they don't care, as long as you can find your homework and everything."
07/18/2008:
"Like the parent who sent the email about the supplies, I also will wait until I get a list from the teachers, we have two to buy for and its to expensive when half the stuff is never used, or is given to other students to use. "
07/17/2008:
"I viewed the 2008 supply list and I understand this is the basic list of supplies, however last year I spent over $60 on supplies that were never used. I will send my son to school on the first day with pencils, paper and folders. I will wait to buy supplies once the teacher gives us his/her list of what they will actually be using. It doesn't make a difference since Florida no longer has the 'tax free' school shopping days. And I cannot afford to buy items that will never be used."
07/15/2008:
"I agree with other parents, how come we buy all of this stuff and our children can't even keep them. My daughter's folder would tear and fall apart and it was rare that it was replaced. Even though I sent awhole bunch of them at the 1st day of school."
07/14/2008:
"I'm going to middle school in a month and i'm nervous because they were supposed to send me a letter saying a list of supplies and the dress code and when to register in.:-("
07/11/2008:
"All through Middle school and Part of High school, I have never had to use crayons. I still dont know why there on this list???"
07/11/2008:
"I'm in High School and I still need crayons. I dont know why but we never use them. ha ha "
07/10/2008:
"It would be so much more beneficial if there was a blog forum for teachers to list their required supplies by school name and their name and subject taught. A wish list for teachers would be very helpful as throughout different times of the year supplies go on sale."
07/10/2008:
"trust me im a senior in high school taking AP English and AP biology 2 and i still need crayons. My mom thinks its rediculous and so do i but hey, what can you do?"
07/10/2008:
"As a middle school teacher who uses technology in the classroom on a regular basis, I recommend that students secure a flash drive or 'disk on key' that can hold a minimum of 256M. They are relatively inexpensive and are small and easily portable. The drive can hold documents, presentations (powerpoint, keynote, etc.) and pictures, and some music files. It helps save the students' work to complete at home or in the event that they need to revise previous work. "
07/7/2008:
"Thanks"
07/7/2008:
"i'm going into middle school and i wont have a hall locker which sucks. oh yeah and most 7-12th graders don't need crayons."
07/2/2008:
"Try buying some school clothes like jeans during the summer time. Usualy clothes out of season are on sale. Just make sure you buy them a size bigger!"
06/11/2008:
"helped me alot. i get my supplies when i get out of school so it is not sold out. thanks. "
06/3/2008:
"This helps me alot thank you"
06/2/2008:
"School supply shopping is the BEST time of year!!! I LOVE IT!! (Don't ask....my BFF and I always have a blast spending the afternoon at Target and the rest of the day organising binders and stuff!!) hehe"
04/3/2008:
"You don't need all of this! I am in high school, and certainly do not need more than 16 crayons.. Or any even.."
03/20/2008:
"Ya, thats pretty much everything u need for school."
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