Jump to:

  • Where to Get School Supplies for Free
  • How to Donate to a Classroom
  • Kindergarten Supplies
  • Elementary School Supplies: Grades 1– 3
  • Elementary School Supplies: Grades 4 – 5
  • Middle School & High School Supplies
  • College Supplies

Where are you guaranteed to have a bad time? The school-supply emporium of your choice on the night before school starts. (Although you may run into friends and neighbors, so you might have a pleasant chat while you wait on a long, long line.) So even though it may seem like last school year just ended, you can never be too diligent about refreshing the stash of school supplies for next year. Doing your back-to-school routine early means you won't have to deal as much with out-of-stock items, and — who knows? — you might even score some out-of-season deals.

According to Pattern Data Science, at the beginning of last school year, markers, mechanical pencils and spiral notebooks were the most in-demand school supplies, so it might be wise to stock up on those first. In addition, calculators and lunch boxes/bags saw huge year-over-year gain in demands (thought it could be because kids weren't using them so much during the height of the pandemic, so everyone had to go out and buy new ones before the start of the 2022 school year).

But whenever you do your back-to-school shopping, be it far in advance or at the last minute, no one wants to make multiple trips. Be sure to consult this list of the best back-to-school supplies for every grade in 2023 before you head out, so you don't leave anything behind.

Where to Get School Supplies for Free

Pro tip: You can get free school supplies, backpacks and uniforms if you don't have the resources to get your own. Contact your school district, who can help lead you to the right contacts or let you know about upcoming supply drives and events. Also, teachers can apply to charity organizations like The Kids in Need Foundation to help supplement items in the classroom.

How to Donate to a Classroom

If you have the means to give to a classroom in need, teachers will be greatly appreciative of your donation. DonorsChoose makes it easy: Teachers can describe supplies the need or projects they're looking to fund, and families can give right through the website. You can search for your school, see what's happening nearby or give to someone across the country. It's especially rewarding knowing exactly how the funds are going to be used.

Kindergarten Supplies

Ah, the school journey begins! Make sure they're prepared right off the bat with these most-requested kindergarten school supplies. (And you, too? Make sure you put aside some of those tissues for yourself.) And while first-day-of-school signs and letter boards (with extra school-themed symbols) aren't technically a school supply, you might want to make sure you have those on-hand, too.

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Elementary School Supplies: Grades 1– 3

Bigger kids, bigger backpacks, more supplies. As they transition from school newbies to more serious scholars, they're going to need more supplies to help them out. (And the old ones from kindergarten? They can probably use a refresh.)

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Elementary School Supplies: Grades 4 – 5

As they get into the upper elementary years, their subjects get some more specialized. They might need different folders for different classes — and they might even start switching teachers. They'll need supplies that'll keep them organized as they tackle more involved homework, bigger projects and specialized classes.

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Donate These Back-to-School Supplies to the Classroom (You'll Make a Teacher Happy)
Multi-Purpose Wipes
Clorox Multi-Purpose Wipes
$17 at Amazon
Credit: Clorox
Hand Sanitizer
Purell Hand Sanitizer
Now 15% Off
$13 at Amazon
Credit: Purell
Paper Towels
Amazon Basics Paper Towels
Now 38% Off
$14 at Amazon
Credit: Amazon Basics
Facial Tissues
Kleenex Facial Tissues
$25 at Amazon
Credit: Kleenex

Middle School & High School Supplies

Middle schoolers are hard on their school supplies. They need rugged kind that will last the whole year. And high schoolers need supplies that will last through all those big projects, cram sessions and heavy daily use.

school shopping lists

College Supplies

College students need more than just pencils, pens and notebooks. Now they have to have all their dorm essentials they need for living out on their own. (Maybe send them off with a gift card in case they realize they need something they hadn't packed.)

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Academic Supplies

Cleaning Supplies

Dorm Furnishings

Dorm Supplies

Toiletries

Looking for more tech items a college student might need? Check out these Good Housekeeping Institute guides:

Best Laptops for Students | Best Macbooks | Best Tablets | Best Smart Notebooks | Best Wireless Speakers | Best Computer Monitors | Best TV Brands | Best Handheld Vacuum

Headshot of Marisa LaScala
Marisa LaScala
Senior Parenting & Relationships Editor

Marisa (she/her) has covered all things parenting, from the postpartum period through the empty nest, for Good Housekeeping since 2018; she previously wrote about parents and families at Parents and Working Mother. She lives with her husband and daughter in Brooklyn, where she can be found dominating the audio round at her local bar trivia night or tweeting about movies.