With Anxiety About Back-to-School Shopping on the Rise, the Number of Families Planning to Shop in June Nearly Doubles

TeacherLists Offers a Solution to Help Budget-Conscious Parents Shop for Back-to-School Supplies.

WRENTHAM, Mass., June 2025 /PRNewswire/ — Families across the country are preparing for back-to-school shopping, with overall spending expected to reach approximately $41 billion. Despite the high numbers, many parents feel more stressed than excited about the annual ritual.

A recent TeacherLists survey found that 61% of parents associate back-to-school shopping with words like “financially challenging” and “stressful.” While some still describe it as “fun” or at least “necessary,” the emotional toll is growing.

With ongoing economic uncertainty and concerns about rising prices,

and potential product shortages, many families are adjusting their shopping timelines. Experts predict an earlier-than-usual start to this year’s shopping season to avoid last-minute price hikes and stock issues. In fact, TeacherLists’ Preseason Parent Survey shows a significant shift: while July and August remain the most popular months, the number of families planning to shop in June has nearly doubled—from 11% to 20%.

TeacherLists, a trusted go-to resource that frequently tops “Best Back-to-School Shopping Hacks” lists. TeacherLists transforms school supply lists into convenient, digital shoppable lists—accessible both online and in-store with major national and local retailers.

It allows parents to:

• View the exact supplies requested by their child’s school and teacher
• Compare prices and plan shopping
• Shop whenever and wherever it’s convenient
• Confirm what’s in stock
• Make incremental purchases over a period of time

Best of all, TeacherLists is completely free for both families and schools. Schools and school districts can easily manage and share their supply lists, simplifying back-to-school shopping for their families.

How to Use TeacherLists

Parents can visit teacherlists.com/families and search by state or zip code to find their school’s list. If a list isn’t available yet, they can sign up to get a notification as soon as it goes live.

For School and District Leaders

To streamline the supply list process and better support your school community, visit teacherlists.com/schools-districts to learn more and get started.

*Parent survey responses via TeacherLists Preseason Parent Survey, May 2025, 1,200 respondents self-identified as parents or guardians of K-12 students.

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, Office Supply, HEB, 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.