Parenting Pointers - Back-to-School Shopping Survey

New TeacherLists 2026 parent survey data highlights a growing but often overlooked dynamic in the back-to-school experience: for many families, the challenge is not just what to buy or how much to spend but efficiently accessing and managing accurate school supply information.

Families aren’t just struggling with shopping itself—they’re struggling to get the right information at the right time.

While back-to-school season is typically framed around spending and shopping behavior, the data points to a parallel layer of logistical friction shaping the experience for parents.

Key findings:

• 59% of families describe back-to-school shopping as stressful, financially challenging, or something they dread

• 36% of families say it takes three or more trips to complete back-to-school shopping, underscoring the time and coordination involved in what is often viewed as a simple seasonal task

• 36% have had trouble finding their child’s school supply list, highlighting a recurring access challenge at the start of the school year

• 19% say finding the list each year is difficult, suggesting the issue persists even for returning families

• 85% would use a verified supply list if it were available through retailers, indicating strong demand for a more centralized and reliable experience

Taken together, the findings show a simple reality: one of the most important back-to-school tools is still not easy for many families to access. Improvements in how this information is shared and standardized can meaningfully reduce friction for families during a high-pressure seasonal window.

In response, digitized, verified supply lists are making it easier for families to quickly find accurate, up-to-date school supply information in one place.

TeacherLists works with schools and districts to digitize millions of supply lists each year, helping improve accessibility for families while also enabling retailers to integrate verified supply lists directly into the shopping experience.

If helpful, we can also share additional insights into how families are approaching back-to-school shopping in 2026.