Free School Supply Checklist (Fillable PDF, Word, Excel)

What is on the page

Categories

Writing, paper, organization, art, math and science, classroom donations, backpack and lunch. Nearly every school list is a subset of these groups.

Have and need

The point of the sheet. Most families already own half the list from last year; ticking "have" before shopping is where the saving comes from.

Quantity and brand notes

Schools often specify brands (Ticonderoga pencils, Crayola crayons, Expo markers) and sizes (1-inch binder, wide-ruled). Write them on the line so the shopper knows.

Store and unit price

On the shopping list: where it is cheapest and what it costs. Splitting the list between two stores usually beats buying everything in one.

Budget and difference

What you set out to spend and whether you did. Back-to-school spending averages several hundred dollars per child in the US; the budget line makes it a choice.

Three-child columns

Quantity per child, total, what you have, what to buy. Shared items (tissues, pencils) are bought once in bulk.

How to use the school's list with this one

The school list tells you what the teacher wants; this checklist tells you what you still have to buy. Lay the two side by side. For each item on the school list, find it on the checklist, tick "have" if it is in the house and usable, and write the quantity still needed on the line. Anything on the school list that isn't here (a specific workbook, a recorder, a lab fee) goes on a blank line. Then move the "need" items onto the shopping list with prices.

Doing this before the first shopping trip typically cuts the bill by a third, because last year's binders, scissors, rulers, pencil pouches and backpacks are usually fine. Teachers notice the difference between a child whose supplies match the list and a child whose supplies are random, so the brand and size notes matter more than they seem to.

Which sheet to use

• General checklist: one child, any grade. Work through the school list against it.
• Shopping list: the buying trip. Quantities, stores, prices, total against budget, tick when bought. Excel does the sums.
• Three children: families with more than one student. Buy shared items once; see which items only one child needs.

Where the money goes

The expensive items are the backpack, the lunch box, headphones, a scientific calculator (middle school up) and a graphing calculator (high school), and anything the school asks for by brand. The cheap items are the ones that add up: folders, notebooks, glue sticks, pencils. Buy the consumables in the back-to-school sales in late July and August when notebooks are a quarter and folders are fifteen cents, buy the durable items once and keep them, and buy classroom donations (tissues, wipes, zip bags) in bulk at a warehouse store. The shopping list has a store column for exactly this split.

Mistakes that mean a second trip

• Buying before checking what is in the house.
• Ignoring the brand and size notes, so the 3-inch binder does not fit the desk and the markers are the wrong type for the whiteboard.
• One of everything for each child when pencils and tissues can be bought once.
• Forgetting the non-list items: a name label on everything, a water bottle, gym shoes, a change of clothes for kindergarten.
• Shopping on the last weekend before school, when the shelves are empty.

Grade-specific lists

The general checklist fits most grades, but lists change with age. The elementary list is heavier on art supplies and classroom donations; the middle school list is organized by subject with a calculator and locker items; the high school list adds course-specific items, a graphing calculator and exam supplies. Teachers setting up a classroom have their own teacher supply checklist.

Editing the Word and Excel versions

The Excel shopping list calculates the quantity to buy, the line totals, the total spend and the budget difference; the family sheet totals each item across children and the estimated cost. Keep the file from year to year and change the quantities; the "have" column fills itself from last year's leftovers. In Word, the general checklist is editable text, so you can paste the school's own list into the groups.

Questions

What is on a typical school supply list?

Pencils, erasers, pens, highlighters, notebooks, loose-leaf paper, folders, a binder, a pencil pouch, glue sticks, scissors, crayons or colored pencils, markers, a ruler, tissues and wipes for the classroom, a backpack, a lunch box and a water bottle. Older students add a calculator, dividers, index cards and subject notebooks. The general checklist here lists all of these by category.

When is the best time to buy school supplies?

Late July to mid-August, when US retailers run back-to-school pricing on notebooks, folders and pencils. Buy durable items (backpack, calculator) any time; buy consumables in the sales.

Should I buy the brand the school asks for?

Usually yes for a few items where it matters: Ticonderoga pencils sharpen better, Crayola crayons don't stain, Expo markers erase cleanly. For most other items a store brand is fine.

How much does back-to-school shopping cost?

Surveys put the average US household spend at several hundred dollars per child for supplies, clothes and electronics; supplies alone are typically $50 to $150 depending on grade. The shopping list keeps you honest against a budget.

Does the PDF calculate totals?

No. The fillable PDF is for ticking and typing. The Excel versions calculate quantities to buy, line totals and the budget difference.