Price-tag for 2015 Back-to-School Supply Lists Now Over $70

Health and cleaning supplies required as often as learning tools

Wrentham, Mass. – The numbers are in: the cost of the average elementary back-to-school supply list in 2015 is $70.93. According to TeacherLists, the smarter way to manage, share and find school supply lists, one of the factors driving the increase in back-to-school spending is the addition of health and cleaning supplies like tissues and hand sanitizer to lists traditionally filled with pens, glue sticks and notebooks.

With school budgets tighter than ever and teachers being asked to do more with less, parents are being called on to contribute more during the back-to-school season. Per Teacherlists, school supply lists increasingly include non-learning supplies alongside education tools.
To view the full news release, visit www.teacherlists.com.

Featured

  • Designing Third Spaces That Do What AI Can't

    In 2026, education is evolving faster than ever. With AI reshaping everything from lesson planning to personalized instruction, schools and universities are turning their attention to what AI can’t replicate: spaces that foster collaboration, community, and creativity.

  • Barbara Vick Western Branch

    Barbara Vick Western Branch

    Established in 1999, the Education Design Showcase is a vehicle for showing off innovative — yet practical — solutions in planning, design, architecture, and construction. The Barbara Vick Western Branch has been recognized with an EDS 2026 Grand Prize award in the category of Renovation.

  • Construction Begins on New University Research Vessel

    Boat-building company All American Marine recently announced that it has begun construction on a new catamaran research vessel for the University of Texas Marine Science Institute (UTMSI) in Port Aransas, Texas, according to a news release.

  • USC Launches Major AI Initiative After $200M Gift

    The University of Southern California in Los Angeles, Calif., recently announced that it has launched a “transformational” new AI initiative thanks to a $200M gift, according to a news release. The project will leverage AI toward breakthroughs and innovations in subjects like the health sciences, business, security, and the arts.