Free High School Supply List (Fillable PDF, Word, Excel)

What is on the high school supply list

Core writing and paper

Pens over pencils except in math, college-ruled paper, highlighters in several colors for annotation, index cards in two sizes for studying.

Organization

A binder or notebook per class, a folder per class, a planner the student actually uses (paper or app). The accordion file is for the handouts that otherwise live in the bottom of the bag.

Graphing calculator

The biggest single purchase, used from Algebra 1 through Calculus and permitted on the SAT and ACT. Buy the model the school uses; a TI-84 Plus CE is the US default. It lasts all four years.

Course-specific items

Goggles and a lab notebook for science, novels for English, a review book for AP, a sketchbook for art, safety gear for shop. Each is listed under its course type.

Fees, textbooks, access codes

Lab fees, workbook purchases, AP exam registration, activity fees, online textbook codes. These have deadlines and they are what the semester sheet tracks.

Exam dates

Finals, AP exams, PSAT and SAT. On the sheet so the study schedule can be built from them.

What a high school list really costs

The consumables (pens, paper, folders) are cheap. The money goes on a few items that last: a graphing calculator (around $100-150 new, often half that used), a laptop if the school doesn't issue one, goggles, a sketchbook and portfolio for art, cleats and gear for sport, and the fees that arrive with each syllabus: lab fees, workbooks, AP exam registration (around $100 per exam), activity and instrument rental fees. Families are often surprised by the fees more than the supplies which is why the semester sheet gives them a column with due dates.

Buy the durable items once, in ninth grade, and keep them. A TI-84 bought for Algebra 1 is still the right calculator for Calculus; goggles bought for Biology work for Chemistry and Physics. Check the used market and the school's own loan or rental programs for calculators before buying new.

Which sheet to use

• Core essentials: shop before the first day. Deliberately short.
• By course type: tick the courses on the schedule and see what each usually asks for, so the first-week syllabi hold no surprises.
• Semester sheet: filled in during week one from the syllabi. Courses, supplies, books, fees with deadlines, exam dates. Landscape, on the fridge.

How to use it

1. Get the schedule. Everything else depends on which courses are on it.
2. Shop the core list, checking what survives from last year (calculator, goggles, backpack, pouch).
3. Use the by-course list to anticipate lab, art, music and CTE items; some have long lead times (instrument rental, work boots).
4. In the first week, the student fills the semester sheet from each syllabus: supplies, textbooks and codes, fees and due dates, exam dates.
5. Pay fees and register for AP exams by the deadlines on the sheet. Missing the AP deadline adds a late fee or means no exam.

Mistakes that cost money in high school

• Buying a graphing calculator the math department does not use, or a scientific one when the course needs graphing.
• Paying full price for a calculator when the school lends them or a sibling has one.
• Missing fee deadlines, especially AP registration in the autumn.
• Annotating library copies of novels; buy own copies for the ones the teacher wants marked up.
• Seven heavy binders in a school with no lockers.
• Lab courses without closed-toe shoes or proper goggles which means sitting out the lab.

Managing the semester after the shopping

With exam dates on the semester sheet, the study schedule can be built backwards from them, the class schedule shows the week, and the time-blocking template is useful once sport, work and homework compete for the same evenings. Students moving up from grade 8 can compare with the middle school list to see what carries over.

Editing the Word and Excel versions

The Word core and by-course lists are editable text with tick boxes; delete the course groups that do not apply. The semester sheet in Excel can be duplicated each semester, and the fees column can be summed. The semester sheet is landscape in every format.

Questions

Which graphing calculator do high schools use?

In the US, most schools use the TI-84 Plus CE (or the older TI-84 Plus); some use the TI-Nspire CX or Casio fx-CG50. Buy the one your math department names. All of these are allowed on the SAT and ACT; check the current College Board and ACT lists.

Do I need to buy the novels for English?

Only if the teacher wants students to annotate; then own copies (often used) are better than library books. Otherwise the school or library supplies them.

What fees should I expect in high school?

Lab fees ($10-40), workbook purchases, AP exam registration (around $100 per exam, with fee reductions available), activity and athletic fees, instrument rental, and parking. Each has a deadline; the semester sheet is for tracking them.

Binders or notebooks in high school?

Teacher by teacher. Science and history usually want binders for handouts; math and languages often want a notebook. Wait for the syllabus before buying seven of anything.

Can students fill this on their own device?

Yes. The PDF is fillable and the semester sheet works well on a laptop during the first week; print one for home.