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A variety of school supplies, including lunch boxes and backpacks in different colors and patterns, are on display for the upcoming school year.<\/p>\n
Deb Cohn-Orbach | UCG | Universal Images Group | Getty Images<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n
Although inflation<\/a> is cooling,\u00a0President Donald Trump\u2019s<\/a> new tariff<\/a>\u00a0rates\u00a0are threatening to drive prices higher, which could leave some parents in a bind amid the back-to-school shopping season.<\/p>\n Families are now paying more for some key back-to-school essentials, such as backpacks, ahead of the new school year. CNBC used the producer price index \u2014 a closely followed measure of inflation \u2014 to track how the costs of making certain items that students need changed between 2019 and 2025.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n In the face of more expensive gear, many families are prepared to cut back.<\/p>\n Back-to-school spending for K-12 students is estimated to reach a collective $30.9 billion, or an average of roughly $570 per child this year, according to a new 2025\u00a0back-to-school retail survey by Deloitte<\/a>. However, that is down from $586 in 2024, even with higher prices across categories. Deloitte polled more than 1,200 parents in May.<\/p>\n \u201cThis season, we\u2019re expecting families to approach back-to-school season with a bit of caution as some concern about the economy and their own personal financial situations are top of mind,\u201d said Brian McCarthy,\u00a0a principal in Deloitte\u2019s retail strategy & analytics practice.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n Trump\u2019s initial \u201cliberation day\u201d tariff agenda, which set a 10% baseline levy for nearly all countries as well as much higher duties on dozens of nations, was set for April 2,\u00a0but those higher rates were paused for 90 days. On Monday, Trump signed an executive order\u00a0delaying the tariff<\/a>\u00a0deadline until Aug. 1.<\/p>\n The full effect of steep new tariffs hasn\u2019t been felt by shoppers yet, according to Jack Kleinhenz, chief economist at the National Retail Federation.<\/p>\n \u201cHowever, if the large increases in tariffs announced earlier this year take effect and are sustained, they will infiltrate consumer prices, causing a downshift in spending,\u201d he said in a July 8 blog post<\/a>.<\/p>\n \u201cEconomic fundamentals appear solid at this juncture, but uncertainty is pervasive,\u201d Kleinhenz said.\u00a0<\/p>\n<\/div>\n Concerns over\u00a0inflation, potential tariffs and product shortages\u00a0are already pushing consumers to change their back-to-school shopping habits, reports also show.<\/p>\n According to Deloitte, 75% of parents said they will switch brands if their preferred brand is too expensive, up from 62% in 2024; 65% will shop at affordable retailers over their preferred stores.<\/p>\n And, 56% are cutting back on non-essential purchases altogether to save money, according to\u00a0data from Intuit Credit Karma<\/a>.<\/p>\n More from Personal Finance:<\/strong> Nearly two-thirds, or 62%, of shoppers also said they\u2019ll begin back-to-school shopping before August, a significant increase from 2024, another report by Coresight Research found. That\u2019s \u201cprobably to preempt any price rises,\u201d said Coresight analyst John Mercer.<\/p>\n \u201cWe haven\u2019t seen the tariff impact on that yet, largely because of the pauses,\u201d he added.<\/p>\n \u201cAt some point, if tariffs come in, there will be price impacts,\u201d Mercer said, and \u201cconsumers are right to be concerned.\u201d<\/p>\n Still, over half of parents \u2014 53% \u2014 said they would go into\u00a0debt to cover extracurriculars, and\u00a046%\u00a0would do the same for back-to-school items to help their child \u201cfit in\u201d at school, also up from the year before, according to NerdWallet\u2019s\u00a02025 back-to-school shopping report<\/a>. Many parents are influenced to splurge on a \u201chot\u201d back-to-school item or first-day outfits, Deloitte also found.<\/p>\n Subscribe to CNBC on YouTube.<\/strong><\/em><\/a><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n\nBack-to-school shopping strategies<\/h2>\n
Trump\u2019s \u2018big beautiful bill\u2019 cuts SNAP for millions of families<\/a>
Tax changes under Trump\u2019s \u2018big beautiful bill\u2019 \u2014 in one chart<\/a>
Trump\u2019s \u2018big beautiful bill\u2019 slashes CFPB funding<\/a><\/p>\n
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