Back-to-school shopping cost expected to be second most expensive in history

WARWICK, R.I. (WLNE) — Millions of parents across the country are making their way out for back-to-school shopping.

According to the National Retail Federation, more than half of parents are already well through their back-to-school shopping, but there is still time to get out and knock some items off that school list.

Shoppers are forecasted to knock out this task through a range of online stores for the incoming school year, with a projected $38 billion in spending across the country.

The 2023 school year broke records in both overall spending and per-household spending, but this year, numbers are expected to get close.

“Families with children in elementary and high school are expecting to spend around $875 on average on clothing, shoes, school supplies and electronics, the second highest amount in the survey’s history. Total spending is expended to reach $38.8 billion following last year’s record high of $41.5 billion,” said Katherine Cullen of The National Retail Federation.

According to the survey, the most money will be going towards electronics with around $14 billion in spending, followed by clothing at $11 billion, and shoes at $8 billion.

Parents are also knocking out back-to-college shopping, with those numbers falling around $87 billion in total spending, and around $1,065 per household.

While the numbers may seem daunting, the report also shows around 25 percent of shoppers knock their school shopping out with only about a week or two to spare before the school year kicks off, so if you’re still looking for those final back-to-school deals you still have some time.