Families Stretched Back-to-School Shopping Season in 2025 to Ease Financial Strain

National research and TeacherLists data showed families started earlier, spread purchases over time, and leaned on promotions to save money this back-to-school season.

WRENTHAM, Mass., Nov. 19, 2025 /PRNewswire/ -- The 2025 back-to-school season has wrapped up, and new data reveals that families turned what was once a single weekend rush into a months-long process. Families shopped earlier, spread out purchases, and took advantage of promotional events—all to balance tighter budgets and reduce stress.

National studies confirmed the shift:

• 49% of families planned to spread purchases across the summer to ease financial strain (Deloitte, 2025 Back-to-School Survey).
  
  
• 67% of families began shopping by early July, the earliest start on record since NRF began tracking (National Retail Federation).
  
  
• 46% of families planned to time their shopping around major promotions like Amazon Prime Days, Walmart Deals, and Target Circle Week (ICSC, 2025).

TeacherLists data reinforced these national findings:

• Traffic to TeacherLists.com surged earlier this year, with family engagement beginning in June and spiking during major retail promotions like Amazon Prime Day Walmart Deals, and Target Circle Week. Nearly 2 million school supply lists representing over 68,000 schools were accessed throughout the season, as families returned multiple times to shop, compare prices, and complete their lists over time.

With more than 1.9 million school supply lists available online, TeacherLists gave families a way to access the exact items teachers requested and shop them directly through trusted retailers like Walmart, Target, Amazon, Staples, Office Depot, Dollar General, Dollar Tree, Family Dollar, H-E-B, Kroger, and Meijer—all in just a few clicks.

By making supply lists shoppable online and available anytime, TeacherLists enabled families to spread out purchases over weeks instead of days, compare prices across retailers, and keep track of what was still needed.

For a deeper look at TeacherLists' 2025 impact and key highlights from the year, read our full blog post here.

How Families Used TeacherLists in 2025

This past season, families turned to TeacherLists to make back-to-school shopping easier and less stressful. Parents were able to:

• Access the exact supplies requested by their child's teacher and school
  
  
• Compare prices across retailers and plan purchases more efficiently
  
  
• Shop anytime, anywhere—online or in person
  
  
• Check real-time stock availability
  
  
• Spread out purchases over weeks to fit their budget and avoid the last-minute rush

Best of all, TeacherLists is completely free for families and schools alike. Districts and schools were able to easily create, manage, and share supply lists, making back-to-school shopping in 2025 smoother for entire communities.

Looking Ahead

Families can visit https://www.teacherlists.com/content/families/ year-round to find their child's current school supply list. They can sign up to receive a notification when their list for next year is available.

For schools and district leaders, it's never too early to prepare for next year. Visit https://www.teacherlists.com/content/schools-districts/ to simplify your supply list process and support your community.

About TeacherLists

TeacherLists is the single national source of verified school supply lists. TeacherLists makes it easy for school administrators and teachers to enter, update, and share their supply lists. Busy families love the convenience of easily finding and shopping their child's classroom-specific lists. TeacherLists partners with major retailers, including Walmart, Target, Amazon, Staples, Office Depot, H-E-B, Meijer, Dollar Tree, Family Dollar, Dollar General, and Kroger, to offer shopping online, in-store, or both, giving families options to shop the way that works for them.   

School Family Media is changing how schools and families prepare for back-to-school. Our nationally recognized platforms, TeacherLists, EduKit, and PTO Today, simplify back-to-school for schools, teachers, volunteers, and especially parents. As a mission-driven company, our goal is to make life easier for school communities and help ensure students are prepared to learn.

SOURCE TeacherLists