Back to school spending is projected to reach $52.6 billion in the US this year. Nearly 80% of shoppers now use mobile devices for these purchases, while almost two-thirds research products online before buying in stores.
Key Takeaways
- 135.5 million US students were enrolled in preschool through grade 12 in fall 2023, representing the primary back-to-school consumer base
- 26.6 million students attended public elementary and secondary schools in the United States in fall 2023, underpinning demand for school supplies and apparel
- US consumer spending on education services was $1.0 trillion in 2023 (BEA), supporting education-related purchases beyond retail
- $52.6 billion in US back-to-school spending was estimated for 2024, including apparel, electronics, and school supplies
- $40.3 billion of US back-to-school spending was estimated for 2023 (including school supplies, clothing, and electronics), indicating the market’s scale
- School-district technology spending reached $31.3 billion in 2024 (projected), supporting device and software purchases tied to back-to-school
- $3.8 billion was spent on school supplies in the US in 2023 (sales estimate), a key subset of back-to-school retail
- The US CPI for apparel increased 2.8% year over year in August 2023 (BLS), affecting clothing affordability during back-to-school
- The US CPI for school supplies increased 3.5% year over year in August 2023 (BLS component), capturing direct inflation pressure
- 79% of shoppers used mobile devices for online shopping during 2024 (survey), aligning with mobile commerce for back-to-school purchases
- 63% of US shoppers reported researching products online before buying in-store (2023/2024 survey), supporting omnichannel behavior
- US ecommerce accounted for 14.4% of total retail sales in 2023 (US Census ecommerce share), providing context for online back-to-school growth
- Cart abandonment averaged 69% for ecommerce in 2023 (industry survey), reflecting friction in back-to-school purchasing flows
With 135.5 million US students fueling about $52.6 billion in 2024 back-to-school spending, mobile and online research drive purchases.
Related reading
01 · Category
Market Size4 stats
01
135.5 million US students were enrolled in preschool through grade 12 in fall 2023, representing the primary back-to-school consumer base
02
26.6 million students attended public elementary and secondary schools in the United States in fall 2023, underpinning demand for school supplies and apparel
03
US consumer spending on education services was $1.0 trillion in 2023 (BEA), supporting education-related purchases beyond retail
04
The school lunch program served about 30.3 million children per day in school year 2022-23 (USDA), enabling demand for associated school items
Interpretation
Market Size Interpretation
With 135.5 million US students enrolled from preschool through grade 12 in fall 2023 and education services spending reaching $1.0 trillion in 2023, the back-to-school market is driven by a very large, sustained consumer base rather than a narrow retail moment.
02 · Category
Industry Trends9 stats
01
$52.6 billion in US back-to-school spending was estimated for 2024, including apparel, electronics, and school supplies
02
$40.3 billion of US back-to-school spending was estimated for 2023 (including school supplies, clothing, and electronics), indicating the market’s scale
03
School-district technology spending reached $31.3 billion in 2024 (projected), supporting device and software purchases tied to back-to-school
04
64% of teachers reported using digital tools for instruction at least weekly (survey), increasing demand for student-facing materials during back-to-school
05
Back-to-school season accounted for 10% of annual retail sales for some apparel categories (industry analysis), highlighting seasonal concentration
06
2.6 billion emails were used for marketing campaigns in 2023 (ESP/industry figure), enabling retailer back-to-school direct-response
07
USDA reported 76% of participating schools used the Offer vs Serve (OVS) option in 2022-23 (program data), affecting student meal patterns around start of term
08
$20.9 billion in US consumer spending on school-related purchases was estimated for 2024 (retail analyst estimate), representing a broad back-to-school bundle
09
$16.2 billion in US spending on electronics for school in 2023 (estimate), underpinning laptop/tablet accessory categories
Interpretation
Industry Trends Interpretation
In the industry trends behind back-to-school shopping, US spending is expected to rise from $40.3 billion in 2023 to $52.6 billion in 2024 while digital adoption is accelerating with 64% of teachers using digital tools weekly and school-district technology spending projected at $31.3 billion, signaling that retailers are shifting toward more tech-forward student experiences and offerings.
03 · Category
Cost Analysis4 stats
01
$3.8 billion was spent on school supplies in the US in 2023 (sales estimate), a key subset of back-to-school retail
02
The US CPI for apparel increased 2.8% year over year in August 2023 (BLS), affecting clothing affordability during back-to-school
03
The US CPI for school supplies increased 3.5% year over year in August 2023 (BLS component), capturing direct inflation pressure
04
Retailers reported 6-10% average promotional discounting during back-to-school in 2023 (industry retail pricing analysis), lowering prices paid
Interpretation
Cost Analysis Interpretation
For Cost Analysis, back-to-school shoppers in the US faced rising expenses as school supply spending reached $3.8 billion in 2023 while CPI for school supplies climbed 3.5% year over year and apparel rose 2.8% in August 2023, partially offset by retailers offering 6 to 10% average promotional discounts.
More related reading
04 · Category
User Adoption3 stats
01
79% of shoppers used mobile devices for online shopping during 2024 (survey), aligning with mobile commerce for back-to-school purchases
02
63% of US shoppers reported researching products online before buying in-store (2023/2024 survey), supporting omnichannel behavior
03
US ecommerce accounted for 14.4% of total retail sales in 2023 (US Census ecommerce share), providing context for online back-to-school growth
Interpretation
User Adoption Interpretation
For user adoption in back-to-school shopping, the data shows shoppers are increasingly going digital with 79% using mobile devices for online purchases in 2024 and 63% researching online before buying in-store.
05 · Category
Performance Metrics1 stats
01
Cart abandonment averaged 69% for ecommerce in 2023 (industry survey), reflecting friction in back-to-school purchasing flows
Interpretation
Performance Metrics Interpretation
Cart abandonment hit an average 69% in 2023 ecommerce back to school shopping, showing that the biggest performance bottleneck is friction in the purchasing flow rather than demand.
report visual · Key figures
Back-to-School Market Size: Then vs. Now
US back-to-school spending expands from 2023 to 2024, indicating sustained—and growing—retail demand.
$40.3 billion
$40.3 billion of US back-to-school spending was estimated for 2023 (including school supplies, clothing, and electronics
$52.6 billion
$52.6 billion in US back-to-school spending was estimated for 2024, including apparel, electronics, and school supplies
$20.9 billion
$20.9 billion in US consumer spending on school-related purchases was estimated for 2024 (retail analyst estimate), repr
$3.8 billion
$3.8 billion was spent on school supplies in the US in 2023 (sales estimate), a key subset of back-to-school retail
$31.3 billion
School-district technology spending reached $31.3 billion in 2024 (projected), supporting device and software purchases
source-verifiedcorporate.mattel.com · cnbc.com · packagedfacts.com · statista.com · growththroughinnovation.com2024
Reference
Cite This Report
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APA
Gabrielle Fontaine. (2026, February 13). Back To School Shopping Statistics. Gitnux. https://gitnux.org/back-to-school-shopping-statistics
MLA
Gabrielle Fontaine. "Back To School Shopping Statistics." Gitnux, 13 Feb 2026, https://gitnux.org/back-to-school-shopping-statistics.
Chicago
Gabrielle Fontaine. 2026. "Back To School Shopping Statistics." Gitnux. https://gitnux.org/back-to-school-shopping-statistics.
Sources & references
21 datasets cited across this report · attribution is report-level
+4 additional datasets cited (not shown individually)